Australia secured a spot in the Davis Cup semifinals at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena on Sunday after Nick Kyrgios defeated third-ranked American Sam Querrey 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-4.
This gave Australia a 3-1 lead over the United States, rendering the fifth rubber dead.
The tie was payback for the Australians, who fell to the United States in the first round of the 2016 tournament on the Kooyong grass.
“I knew that I hit a bit of a flat patch in the start of the third set, but Lleyton on the side told me to compete in every point.” Kyrgios said on-court after the match.
“I couldn’t be prouder of my boys,” said Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt. “They’ve put so much hard work and effort into this campaign, and they deserve this … This is what you play for.”
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The Aussies laid the groundwork for the victory on Friday by going 2-0 in singles against the top two Americans.
In the first rubber, world No. 79 Jordan Thompson beat No. 15 Jack Sock in four sets 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4. Then in the second, Nick Kyrgios took two tiebreaks over John Isner to rack up a straight-sets win 7-5, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5), putting Australia one rubber from victory.
On Doubles Saturday, the Olympic-bronze-medal-winning American team of Jack Sock and Steve Johnson barely staved off elimination by beating Sam Groth and John Peers in five sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
Still, this meant the United States would have to win both singles on rubbers on Sunday.
Shortly before match time on Sunday, it was announced that Sock, the top-ranked American, would be replaced for the matchup against Kyrgios by world No. 25 Sam Querrey, who recorded a three-set win over Kyrgios in the Acapulco semifinals in March.
The first set went to a tiebreak, which Kyrgios won 7-4. In the second, Kyrgios broke Querrey early on with a backhand winner. The Aussie went on to take the set 6-3.
Querrey broke for a 3-1 lead in the third set when Kyrgios missed a backhand pass attempt wide, subsequently holding to make it 4-1.
But Kyrgios later broke back for 3-4, held for 4-4 and broke again on a Querrey double fault for 5-4. Kyrgios then served out the match, winning it with an ace to secure the tie at 3-1.
In the dead rubber, John Isner beat Sam Groth 7-6 (5), 6-3.
