MX23RW : Monday, April 29 14:52:38| >> :600:44940404:44940404:

Australia come from behind to beat Croatia in Davis Cup semi-final

Australia come from behind to beat Croatia in Davis Cup semi-final
© Reuters
Australia come back from a match down to beat Croatia 2-1 and advance to the final of the Davis Cup for the first time in 19 years in Malaga.

Australia reached the final of the Davis Cup for the first time in 19 years after recovering from a 1-0 deficit to beat Croatia 2-1 in Friday's semi-final.

The tie was delicately poised at one match apiece following Borna Coric's straight sets win over Thanasi Kokkinakis before Alex de Minaur claimed an emphatic victory over Marin Cilic.

In the deciding doubles rubber, Australia's Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell faced a stern test against Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic, but the pair came back from a set down to send Australia through.

Kokkinakis lost 6-4 6-3 to Coric in one hour and 32 minutes in the day's opening battle, despite posting 11 aces compared to the Croatian's five in an early setback for Australia.

However, De Minaur was in ruthless form against Cilic to beat the former world number three - who hit 10 double faults - 6-2 6-2 in one hour and 34 minutes, leaving it all to play for in the doubles.

A tense first-set tiebreaker went the way of Pavic and Mektic, but the Australians fought back valiantly to post a 6-7[3] 7-5 6-4 win and seal a spot in the final.

The 28-time champions - who have not won a Davis Cup title since 2003 - will now face the winner of Italy's semi-final showdown with Canada in Malaga on Saturday.

ID:500610:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect2218:

Click here for more stories about Borna Coric

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Russian Tennis Federation's Daniil Medvedev with captain Shamil Tarpischev celebrates winning his final singles match against Croatia's Marin Cilic on December 5, 2021
Read Next:
RTF sink Croatia to lift Davis Cup
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!