Thanasi Kokkinakis secured his second consecutive victory as Alex de Minaur’s Davis Cup replacement, leading Australia to a win over the Czech Republic and bringing them closer to the finals in November.
Kokkinakis began the match in Valencia with a win in three sets. Subsequently, Australia’s top player, Alexei Popyrin, had a brief appearance on court when Czech No.1 Tomas Machac withdrew due to injury after just eight minutes, sealing the crucial group stage victory for captain Lleyton Hewitt’s team. The triumph was completed with another doubles victory from the formidable pair Matt Ebden and Max Purcell, who now hold an 8-1 Davis Cup record together, achieving a 3-0 clean sweep of the tie.
Asked to step up in de Minaur’s absence, Kokkinakis, selected over the higher-ranked Jordan Thompson, delivered an impressive performance against rising teenage star Jakub Mensik, winning 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3.
Hewitt praised Kokkinakis’s performance: “Thanasi was fantastic in the first match.”
Kokkinakis expressed his gratitude for the opportunity: “To step up and get two points on the board is massive. Big thanks to Lleyton for trusting me and giving me the chance. We all could have played, which is the beauty of Australian tennis right now. We’re all having great years.”
With this win, Australia, who were finalists in last year’s Davis Cup, are in a strong position to reach the eight-team finals week, pending their final tie against a Spanish team led by Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday.
A victory for Spain over France on Friday would secure Australia’s spot in the finals. However, if France wins decisively and Australia loses 3-0, their chances could be jeopardized.