A game away from elimination, Australia found a way to rally and make their way back to the Davis Cup semi-finals.
Australia came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 and reach the last-four for the second straight year on Wednesday.
Alex de Minaur recovered from a set and a break down to keep the Aussies alive, then Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden won the decisive doubles match to set up a last-four encounter with Finland on Friday.
Tomas Machac defeated Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-5 in the first singles to put the Czechs ahead, but De Minaur beat Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 7-6 (2) 7-5, and then Purcell and Ebden — the 2022 Wimbledon champions — sealed the comeback by defeating Adam Pavlasek and Lehecka 6-4, 7-5 in the doubles.
“I prided myself on a never-say-die attitude and he’s certainly in the same category,” Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt said of De Minaur.
“For him to go out there and put the boys on his back again, we’re so proud of him. He had to dig really deep and yet again he saved us.”
De Minaur, the top-ranked Australian and No. 12 in the world, broke back at 3-5 down in the second set and went on to force a tie-breaker. He then broke serve at 5-5 in the final set before closing out the match with four straight points.
“It would have been quite easy for me to roll over under the circumstances, but that’s just not the type of player I am,” the 24-year-old De Minaur said. “I’m going to fight until the end.”
