'Brutal loss': Cramp-riddled Collignon stuns de Minaur for best career win to leave Australia on the brink

Raphael Collignon collapses on the ground with severe cramps. (Getty/Mark Metcalfe)

Raphael Collignon has defied cramps and a boisterous Sydney crowd to defeat Alex de Minaur in a three-hour epic before Zizou Bergs comfortably beat Jordan Thompson to leave Australia down 0-2 in the tie and on the brink of a shock upset. 

After a scratchy first set where both players broke serve three times in the first six games, Collignon took control of the lengthy rallies and managed his nerves to secure a late break. The match was attritional, with neither player truly establishing themselves in the first set, as de Minaur struggled to adjust after a lengthy run at the US Open. 

After a bathroom break, de Minaur regrouped quickly to secure an early double break. Collignon then began to cramp after a tough fall, as 'Demon' looked to seize the advantage. While his Belgian opponent recovered one of the breaks with some incredible stroke play while physically compromised, de Minaur closed out the set as the clock struck two hours. 

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The third set was one of the more incredible seen on Ken Rosewall Arena, with Collignon collapsing during the first game, barely able to move. Faced with the choice of forfeiting three games, Collignon played on as de Minaur struggled to find the court. After fighting through that mammoth first game, Collignon began to recover as he received massages from team captain Steve Darcis on the changeovers. He eventually broke de Minaur with some attacking stroke play before serving out the match for a huge upset win. 

"It's for the country, so I will always give 100 per cent. And yeah, I managed to win the game and then, the cramps were there on the match but a bit less, so I could finish, and we did so crazy," Collignon said. 

"I was starting to cry a bit because I was doing a great match and it was tough to see that my physicality was a bit hurting me, but I try to do point by point for the guys that were there, for me, for the team, for the country... I was just trying to be there."

Collignon acknowledged that it was a tough effort for him to get to Sydney for the tie, but said that for him, Davis Cup was the pinnacle. 

"I lost on Friday, I think in New York and took the flight on Saturday [home] and left [for] Australia on Thursday, so it was like three days at home," he shared.

"It was tough, but you don't think about this when you play with your country, you know, you just go and take your heart out for the country. The week here was great with the team. We prepared very well and was feeling very well."

Despite the capacity crowd against him, Collignon credited the experience as he described the win as the "best of his career".

"For me, this format is so good, even if we have to go to Australia, but when you see the stadium that is packed, the crowd that is supporting, a lot of people are in the stands, I think it's the best format in Davis Cup, and I think it's great to play in this kind of atmosphere," he said.

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Collignon said that despite his physical ailments, he would be ready to go for a potential final match even if he was "on one leg".

De Minaur was circumspect after the gutting defeat.

"Brutal loss," he admitted. "Tough day at the office. I'm going to have to forget that one quickly. But there's nothing better than a good comeback story."

The Sydneysider said that the gruelling schedule had been tough but was not the cause of his loss, adding: "I've made this a priority my whole career, and it's just tough to take."

De Minaur said that the controversy surrounding Lleyton Hewitt had not impacted the team's preparation going into the tie. 

"I'm just here to play tennis. That's our job as tennis players, and we're going to do a much better job tomorrow than we did today."

In the second match, Zizou Bergs defeated Jordan Thompson, where the gulf in quality felt much greater than the score showed.

Bergs, 26, broke early in the first set, and although Thompson broke back, the Aussie struggled to harness the energy of the crowd, who were beginning to lose energy, as Bergs took the first set in a tiebreak.

Bergs broke early in the second set, and while Thompson again broke back, the Belgian No.1 broke again with some attacking stroke play and promptly served out the match to seal a comprehensive day for the Belgians.

"It was great to start after having the win of [Collignon]," said Bergs. "It was both a boost to me and to the team. If you're the No.1 guy, you feel responsible for getting the win against the number two.

"The crowd was great. They showed a lot of respect for us. They clapped our points even though they were cheering for the [Aussies] and that's an atmosphere we really like."

"He played a clean match," said Thompson. "He was flushing the ball. He served while he returned well; he made it hard for me to attack him. He kept good pace and good depth, so didn't really allow me to play my game. Credit to him, it's not easy to do that out there in those conditions, so he probably deserved the win."

While disappointed after the first day, captain Lleyton Hewitt emphasised that there was still a long way to go in the tie. 

"There's still hopefully three more matches, so we're just going to put today behind us. Tomorrow's a new day, and we're going to start fresh, and we're going to come out ready for a comeback," the two-time Grand Slam champion said.

Belgian captain Steve Darcis, who is affectionately known as Mr Davis Cup by his team, cautioned that the job was not done yet for his team.

"The last point is the toughest to take, but it's good to be 2-0 up tonight, but still we want the team to be ready for tomorrow because it's going to a long day."

Rinky Hijikata and John Peers are slated to take on Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, although Thompson hinted he would be willing to play the doubles "if required", while the Belgians will be tempted to bring in Bergs for Gille, who missed the US Open with a long-term injury.

If the Australians take that match, then de Minaur will face Bergs, and Thompson will play Collignon in a bid to keep Australia in the Davis Cup. 

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