Lleyton Hewitt has commended his team’s unwavering determination as they managed to advance to the quarter-finals of the United Cup despite being in the “group of death.”
On Monday evening, Alex de Minaur began the match against the reigning champions USA with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory over Taylor Fritz, who is ranked as the 10th best player in the world.
The match between Ajla Tomljanović and world No 5 Jessica Pegula ended with a score of 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, resulting in a tie. The final outcome was determined by the mixed doubles match.
Australia’s situation was made more difficult by the requirement to win the mixed doubles in consecutive sets in order to come out on top of their group, which included Great Britain as well.
The duo of Matt Ebden and Storm Hunter, representing Gun Doubles, successfully defeated Pegula and Rajeev Ram with a score of 6-3, 6-1.
Australia’s chances of advancing to the quarter-finals seemed slim after their 2-1 defeat to Great Britain on Friday.
However, their unexpected win against the USA brought a sense of pride to team captain Hewitt.
Hewitt expressed his pride in the team’s fantastic performance, stating that he was impressed with their effort. Despite facing a tough opponent in their first match, the team rallied together and persevered.
“They gave their all. It looks promising for Wednesday evening.”
Fritz was a hero of America’s United Cup triumph last summer, recording four wins from his five singles matches, including impressive triumphs over grand slam finalists Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini.
However, he was no match for De Minaur as he only had 19 winners compared to De Minaur’s 28 in the 89-minute game.
Fritz angrily flung his racquet across the court during the second set when De Minaur scored an impressive winner, resulting in a crucial break.
During another instance, Fritz placed his head on the net in resignation after De Minaur scored yet another impressive winner.
De Minaur stated that today felt like a fresh start, a “new year, new me” kind of situation. He lost to Cameron Norrie in three sets on Friday night.
I was feeling very positive and focused. I played the style of tennis that I desired, so I am extremely pleased with my performance.
I have faced Taylor numerous times. He possesses a strong attacking ability, and I must prevent him from controlling the game. I aimed to be assertive and successfully carried out my plan. I am extremely pleased with my performance.
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De Minaur’s on-court movement throughout the match was superb, and his sliced backhand also proved to be a major weapon.
De Minaur stated that he wants to demonstrate his versatility beyond just running horizontally.
“I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I need to make an effort to showcase them more.”
Tomljanović, who had returned to the game, was initially defeated in the singles match. However, she quickly bounced back and was close to winning the first set.
Pegula remained composed under pressure and successfully defended against three set points. She also capitalized on her opportunities, converting four out of six break-points.
On the other hand, Tomljanović was only successful in converting three out of eleven break points.
Although she did not secure the victory, Tomljanović’s performance was significantly improved compared to her 6-2 6-4 defeat to Katie Boulter on Friday evening.
Tomljanović admitted, “I must confess, Friday was quite disheartening for me.”
“I initially believed that my skill level was lacking. However, after competing today and putting up a strong effort, I realized that I had numerous opportunities despite not winning.”
Source: theguardian.com
