'I had some kind of perspective': Resurgent de Minaur leads Australia into United Cup quarters

(Getty/Andy Cheung)

Fighting off a crushing defeat to Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur returned to form to lead Australia to a 2-1 victory over Czechia, with a dominant victory over prodigy Jakub Menšík and an engrossing win in mixed doubles alongside the hero of the first tie, Storm Hunter.

After Canada's shock loss to Belgium and Poland’s 3-0 victory over Germany, the Australians knew they had to win their tie to qualify for the knockouts, as their win percentage would not be enough for the 'best runner-up' spot.

The night did not start well for Australia, with Maya Joint struggling against Barbora Krejčíková, with the former Grand Slam champion comfortably defeating the up-and-coming Aussie 6-4, 6-1.

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Joint seemed to be still fighting the symptoms of her illness that kept her out of the last tie, while her opponent was flawless in her return from a long-term injury.

Krejčíková's victory sealed qualification for Czechia as the best runner-up at the very least, meaning that the rest of the tie was virtually a dead-rubber for them.

"Felt really good to be back out here today," said Joint. "I felt ready to play and ready to compete. I mean, love the atmosphere. Was pretty disappointed I couldn't play the first match. Yeah, really glad I was able to come back out here tonight."

Needing to win to keep Australia alive, de Minaur came out strong against Menšík, controlling the court as he mixed up his play with slices and net play, which kept the Czech out of his comfort zone.

After taking the first set 6-4, the top-ranked Aussie breezed through the second set despite a highlight-reel-worthy tweener from Menšík to take the match 6-4, 6-1.

"I'm just happy with the way I bounced back. I felt a little bit disappointed with my first match. Obviously didn't want to start off the year like that," said De Minaur.

"I had some kind of perspective. I thought Casper played a great match. For me, it was about doing all the right things and not putting the warning signs up. I'm still playing some great tennis. I still back myself. I've got a lot of confidence.

"Today I was able to play a really good match from start to finish. There were no problems with my serve, which was a big problem on day one. I'm very happy that it was able to go away. As I said, super happy to still be in the tournament and we get to have another crack.”

With qualification assured for Czechia, they fielded their second-string team of Dalibor Svrčina and Miriam Škoch, while Hewitt unsurprisingly fielded his two most in-form players in Hunter and de Minaur.

With little incentive for the Czech team to win, Hunter and de Minaur brought the energy from the outset, combining beautifully to seal a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 victory.

"Coming out here, we knew we probably couldn't finish the highest second-place team, so we had to win tonight. We had to somehow win two points. We were able to do that," said team captain Hewitt.

"It's been a really good camaraderie with the whole team and the whole squad and everyone. It's been a lot of fun this week. Good to have Maya back out there healthy tonight as well. She'll definitely be better for the outing tonight, as well.

"Then obviously Alex had to step up and keep us in it. Played a fantastic match from start to finish. In the end, too tough mentally, which obviously helped him physically as the match went on. For him to back up and play a great mixed doubles with Storm [was a] good way to finish the round-robin."

Czechia will face Belgium on Thursday night, before Australia faces Poland (barring a dominant upset victory by the Netherlands) in a blockbuster quarter-final on Friday night.

Elsewhere, Switzerland will take on Argentina, and the United States will take on Greece in Perth, with the winners heading to Sydney for the semi-finals.

The Kooyong Classic returns to the spiritual home of Australian tennis from January 13-15, 2026.

Each year, the Kooyong Classic features the world’s best players in their final preparation for the Australian Open. 

The 2026 event will feature Lorenzo Musetti, Alexander Bublik, Nick Kyrgios, Karen Khachanov, Flavio Cobolli, Frances Tiafoe, Learner Tien, Matteo Berrettini, Hubert Hurkacz, Marin Čilić and Zhang Zhizhen, alongside Donna Vekić and a special guest appearance Daniela Hantuchová. More to be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets on sale now through Ticketek/www.kooyongclassic.com.au

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