After beating France in its opening tie at the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage, Australia next turns its attention to the challenge posed by Czech Republic.
Valencia, Spain, 12 September 2024 | Matt Trollope
Australia will look to continue its so-far-unbeaten run at the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage when it takes on Czech Republic on Thursday afternoon in Valencia (Friday 12am AEST).
The Aussies began with a 2-1 tie victory over France two days ago, and next meet a Czech squad coming off a 3-0 loss to hosts Spain.
> READ MORE: Australia edges out thrilling victory against France
What’s more, the Czechs suffered a potential setback when No.1 singles player Tomas Machac endured physical problems – thought to be cramping – which forced him to retire early in the third set of his singles rubber against Carlos Alcaraz.
Nevertheless, Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt is not taking them lightly.
“It’s going to be a tough tie. Our two remaining ties are going to be tough,” said Hewitt, also referencing Australia’s upcoming tie against Spain on Sunday.
“Machac’s now obviously the No.1 on ranking as well; [Jiri] Lehecka’s No.2. [Jakub] Mensik they could throw in as well, who’s a quality player who played well in New York.
“They’ve got plenty of options, and they have a good doubles team as well. So won’t be taking anything for granted.”
The Aussies and the Czechs have met 10 times in Davis Cup play, with Australia winning nine of those ties, including the past four.
The most recent of those came in last year’s Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Australia won 2-1 to advance to the semifinal stage, where a win over Finland catapulted them into a second straight final.
Australia is seeking its first Davis Cup title since 2003, and 29th overall.
And its momentum is building in Spain.
Thanasi Kokkinakis’ straight-sets win over Arthur Fils – his sixth singles victory in the team competition – put the Aussies in a winning position before Matt Ebden and Max Purcell clinched the tie in a live doubles rubber.
Ebden and Purcell have built a sparkling 7-1 win-loss record in Davis Cup and are undefeated in the competition since 2022, the same year they won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title.
They are on a five-match winning streak as a pair in Davis Cup play.
“I just back the fact that Matty and I do so well when we’re positive and play together,” said Purcell, after beating Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, both major doubles champions themselves.
“So any team that comes in against us at 1-1 has kind of probably felt like they’ve lost the day anyway.”