Photograph: Getty Images
Alex de Minaur has kept Australia’s hopes alive against Hungary following a straight-sets victory over Marton Fucsovics on Ken Rosewall Arena.
The Aussie let out an almighty scream and fell to the floor in jubilation after a Fucsovics backhand landed beyond the baseline, handing Australia an important 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory.
The result means the tie will come down to the fifth and final match between Thanasi Kokkinakis and Piros Zsombor.
“It means the world,” de Minaur said on court following the win.
"Obviously, it was a must-win but the job’s not done. I managed to keep us in here and this Aussie team is going to do everything to leave it all out there on court.
“We’ve got immense pride, immense passion and one thing you can count on for the Aussie Davis Cup Team is we’re never gonna give up.”
De Minaur definitely walks the talk, putting in a lion-hearted effort in hot and humid conditions to keep his country alive. The Aussie produced a typically passionate and gutsy performance to overwork Fucsovics who was visibly struggling in the brutal conditions.
Despite struggling with his fitness, Fucsovics still gave de Minaur and the Australian camp a few things to worry about as he threatened to take the game away at different stages.
In fact, the Hungarian twice had the mini-break in the opening set decider and led 4-2 at one stage. However, de Minaur refused to give up and won five points on the trot to take the set and give Australia the advantage.
In a game of physical rallies de Minaur often found himself coming to the net and hit some exquisite volleys to give himself the advantage in points.
Following a lengthy set break, de Minaur came out firing and had the finishing line in sight after taking a 3-0 lead in no time. Yet, Fucsovics rallied and started going for his shots to shorten the points. His tactic worked brilliantly as he fought back to get the match back on serve at 3-3.
The Aussie faced a nervous breakpoint in the seventh game but managed to hold on and keep his nose in front.
Then, after having three match points denied by the Hungarian in the tenth game, de Minaur finally got the victory and was swept over by emotion in front of a raucous home crowd in Sydney.
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