“Perfect Day: Kokkinakis Dominates to Push Aussies Closer to Davis Cup Finals Glory”

Australia’s men’s tennis team is on the brink of another shot at Davis Cup glory after securing their second group-stage victory in just three days with a 3-0 sweep over a weakened Czech Republic team in Valencia.

 

Under the guidance of captain Lleyton Hewitt, the Australian team—runners-up in the Davis Cup for the past two years—are now strong favorites to advance to the final-eight stage in Malaga this November. After a hard-fought 2-1 victory over France, they faced a much easier challenge against the injury and illness-stricken Czechs on Thursday.

 

Thanasi Kokkinakis, trusted with the No. 2 singles position by Hewitt, once again delivered on the indoor hard court, managing the powerful but inconsistent play of rising star Jakub Mensik. Kokkinakis claimed an impressive 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3 victory in the opening match.

 

The Czech team’s struggles continued as their No. 1 player, Tomas Machac, withdrew from the second match after just eight minutes due to injury. Machac, who had also retired in a previous match against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, was visibly struggling with a heavily strapped right calf. This handed Alexei Popyrin and the Australians another win.

 

To cap off a successful day, the Australian doubles team of Matt Ebden and Max Purcell easily defeated Mensik and Adam Pavlasek 6-4, 6-2, improving their Davis Cup record to 8-1.

 

Kokkinakis’s performance was especially praised by Hewitt, who had opted to play him over the higher-ranked Jordan Thompson. Kokkinakis, now world No. 78, followed up his straight-sets victory over Arthur Fils of France with another strong showing, including 19 aces in his match against Mensik.

 

The win puts Australia in a commanding position to reach the finals in Malaga, with a match against the Alcaraz-led Spanish team still to come on Sunday. If Spain defeats France on Friday, Australia’s spot in the finals will be assured. However, a slim chance remains that an unlikely series of results could still jeopardize their qualification.