Lleyton Hewitt has expressed admiration for his team’s determined mindset as Australia advanced to the quarter-finals of the United Cup by narrowly avoiding elimination in the group stage.
On Monday night, Alex de Minaur started the tie against the USA’s defending champions with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory over Taylor Fritz, who is ranked 10th in the world.
The match between Ajla Tomljanović and Jessica Pegula ended in a 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 victory for Pegula, tying the overall score. The mixed doubles would determine the final outcome.
Adding to the complexity for Australia was the requirement to secure a victory in the mixed doubles match without dropping any sets, in order to come out on top of their group, which also included Great Britain.
The duo of Matt Ebden and Storm Hunter successfully won their match, defeating Pegula and Rajeev Ram with a score of 6-3, 6-1.
After being defeated by Great Britain 2-1 on Friday, Australia’s chances of making it to the quarter-finals seemed unlikely.
However, their unlikely triumph against the United States left team leader Hewitt feeling extremely proud.
Hewitt expressed his pride in the team’s performance, stating that they played exceptionally well and he was pleased with the outcome. Despite facing a tough challenge in their first match, they were able to come out victorious.
“They gave their all. This sets a positive tone 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 De Minaur recorded 28 winners compared to his 19 in the 89-minute match.
Fritz was visibly frustrated and angrily flung his racquet across the court during the second set when De Minaur scored an impressive shot to gain a crucial break.
During another instance, Fritz placed his head on the net in surrender after De Minaur delivered yet another impressive winner.
De Minaur stated that today felt like a fresh start, a “new year, new me” kind of situation. He was beaten in three sets by Cameron Norrie on Friday night.
I was in a positive mindset. I played the style of tennis that I desired, so I am extremely pleased with that.
“I have faced Taylor numerous times. He possesses a strong offensive game and it’s important to prevent him from controlling the pace. I aimed to play aggressively and was successful in executing my game plan. I am extremely pleased with my performance.”
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De Minaur’s exceptional court agility during the match was impressive, and his use of the sliced backhand was a key advantage.
De Minaur stated that he wants to demonstrate his diverse abilities beyond just running from one side to the other.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I need to work on bringing them out more.
Tomljanović, who had returned to the game, was initially unable to maintain her lead in the women’s singles match. However, she quickly recovered and was close to securing the first set victory.
Pegula remained composed to resist three set points, and she capitalized on her opportunities by successfully converting four out of six break-point opportunities.
On the other hand, Tomljanović was only successful in converting three out of eleven break points.
Although she didn’t win, Tomljanović showed significant improvement from her previous defeat of 6-2 6-4 against Katie Boulter on Friday evening.
“I have to be honest, Friday was pretty disappointing for me,” Tomljanović stated.
Initially, I believed my skill level was inadequate. However, after competing today and giving it my all, even though I didn’t emerge victorious, I felt like I had numerous opportunities to succeed.
