Alex de Minaur says he’ll depart “nothing on the court” when Australia performs its first Davis Cup semi-final since 2017 after he mustered each ounce of effort to safe his workforce’s passage with victory over the Netherlands.
After late call-up Jordan Thompson vindicated a troublesome name from Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt to play him by staging a comeback to win the opening singles match, de Minaur took out the second to arrange a shot at successful the occasion for the primary time since 2003.
Both Aussies needed to come from a set all the way down to safe three-set wins, and de Minaur mentioned struggle and perception have been driving the Australian workforce.
“I’m going to leave nothing on the court because that’s what this team is about,” de Minaur mentioned after his 5-7 6-3 6-4 win over Botic Van De Zandschulp in Malaga, Spain.
“Every single one of us would have done the same. I fought to the end, never-say-die attitude and I managed to scrape through.
“We have a lot of belief … any one of us can step out and deliver.
“We’ve managed to sneak through in two matches and the grind continues. We’re in it to win it, that’s for sure.”
Leading the workforce within the absence of Australia’s top-ranked participant, Nick Kyrgios, world No.24 de Minaur needed to flip the momentum in his personal sport to arrange a semi-final showdown with both Croatia or Spain.
“It was a hell of a fight. Jordan Thompson played his heart out, he really inspired me to go out there and leave it all out there,” de Minaur mentioned
“I’m so proud to be part of this team, we have an amazing team, every single one of the players here has each other’s back.
“You’re playing for your country, for more than just yourself.”
Thompson was solely added to the Australian workforce on the eve of the conflict with the Netherlands and was given the nod by Hewitt to play the primary singles sport as a substitute of Thanasi Kokkinakis.
It seemed a nasty name when Thompson went a set down towards Tallon Griekspoor.
But Thompson’s match health paid off and he fought again to take a 4-6 7-5 6-3 victory after practically three hours of battle, placing him within the field seat to entrance up within the singles once more in Friday’s semi-final.
The winners of the tie will face both six-times champions and hosts Spain or Croatia for a spot in Sunday‘s last.
In the opposite quarter-finals, Italy takes on the United States whereas Germany faces Canada.
