Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth were Australia’s Davis Cup heroes after the pair stepped into the singles breach to guide the hosts to a 3-2 victory over Kazakhstan in their World Cup quarter-final in Darwin.
Hewitt secured victory after being drafted in to replace Thanasi Kokkinakis in the fifth and final match of the weekend, posting a 7-6 (6-2), 6-2, 6-3 win over world No115 Aleksandr Nedovyesov in front of a raucous crowd.
Earlier Groth, replacing the dropped Nick Kyrgios, had kept alive Australian hopes with a rousing 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (8-6) win over Mikhail Kukushkin to bring the tie back on level terms at 2-2.
Both Kyrgios and Kokkinakis had lost the opening singles rubbers on Friday, before Groth and Hewitt teamed up in Saturday’s doubles to get finally Australia on the board.
The quartet’s performances over the first two days prompted the team captain, Wally Masur, to ring the changes and go with experience over talented youth on Sunday, a brave decision that paid off in spades as first Groth and then Hewitt registered famous wins to take Australia into a semi-final against either Great Britain or France.
“I love the back-against-the-wall situation. That’s what we had after day one, Hewitt, 34, said in a courtside interview.
“We had to rally together and find a way to get the win. I’ve always said some of my greatest wins are in Davis Cup and some of my toughest losses are in Davis Cup so I’m going to enjoy this one. This is what dreams are made of.”
The victory brings to an end a remarkably turbulent week for Australian tennis during which the country’s number one ranked player Bernard Tomic was arrested in Miami. Tomic was only in the US after having been dropped from the Davis Cup team following a public war of words waged against the backdrop of a national debate over both his and Kyrgios’s behaviour.
Kyrgios said after his four-set defeat to Nedovyesov on Friday that he was suffering from his exertions on and off the court over the past month, and the visibly jaded 20-year-old was given a break for the reverse singles he had previously been pencilled in for.
“I hope that [Kyrgios and Kokkinakis] realise that no-one sits in judgement that they lost a tennis match,” Masur said after Hewitt’s victory. “They have so long to go and have so much ability and are great kids. As Lleyton said, they are the next generation of our team and I just really look forward to it.”
The promotion of Groth, 27, in Kyrgios’s place was quickly vindicated, the big-server hitting 29 aces during a victory over Kukushkin that sparked wild scenes of celebration at the Marrara sporting complex.
“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever had in tennis. It’s unbelievable,” Groth said.
Knowing Australia’s fate rested on his shoulders, Hewitt then went about his business against Nedovyesov with impeccable professionalism, wrapping up victory in straight sets.
