ATP Cup 2020: Australia defeat Great Britain to storm into the semifinals

What's the story?

In the quarter-finals of the inaugural ATP Cup, Australia narrowly defeated Great Britain in the most exciting tie of the tournament so far. After the overall scores were tied at 1-1 after the singles matches, the match would be decided in a tense doubles fixture, which Australia won in three close sets.

In case you didn't know

The ATP Cup has been positively received by the tennis world so far. Unlike the revamped Davis Cup, which experienced several hiccups, the ATP Cup has been running a lot smoother and has boasted a much better atmosphere.

The heart of the matter

Going into the tournament, Australia were picked as one of the favourites to win the tournament, and so far we can see why. They were utterly dominant during the group stages and continued this form into the knockout stages.

Their quarter-finals match began with a clean straight-sets victory by Nick Kyrgios, who defeated Britain's Cameron Corrie 6-2 6-2. Despite Australia's strong start, however, Britain would level the tie dramatically with Dan Evans edging NextGen star, Alex De Minaur, 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(2).

This meant that a doubles match was required to settle the tie between the two great tennis nations. Controversially, at the time, Australia's team captain, Lleyton Hewitt, opted to replace his doubles specialists in favour of Kyrgios and De Minaur, despite the two having played previously in the singles.

This ploy worked, however, as the pair managed to win by the skin of their teeth, saving three match points in a nailbiting third set tie break, 3-6 6-3 16-18. After the match, a jubilant Kyrgios lifted De Minaur and carried him around the court.

Australia now await either Belgium or Spain in the semi-finals of the competition which will be played this weekend.