A remarkable doubles rubber by Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden has kept Australia’s Davis Cup hopes alive with a 2-1 win against France.
Earlier in the day, Adrian Mannarino gave France the early edge, defeating Purcell in the opening singles rubber, 7-6(4) 6-4.
Alex de Minaur then levelled the tie with a 7-6(2) 6-3 victory against France’s Ugo Humbert.
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Then it was all up to Ebden and Purcell in the crucial doubles rubber, with the Australian pair getting home in straight sets 7-5 6-3.
The Aussies looked to be in danger of missing the elimination stage after going down to Britain on Thursday, but the result against France keeps Australia in contention to progress.
“Our backs were against the wall, but we dug deep and we’re hanging in there,” Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt said.
Alex de Minaur said, “I’ve normally delivered when I’ve put on the green and gold, so I’m happy I was able to reset from yesterday and deliver a must-win match.
“It was a super hard match against an opponent who beat me recently.”
Australia faces Switzerland in its final round-robin tie on Saturday (from 10pm AEST).
Frances Tiafoe, meantime, was beaten for the second straight time and the United States lost to the Netherlands in the group stage.
Tallon Griekspoor defeated Tiafoe 6-3, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3) to secure the Netherlands the victory in Group D in Split. Botic Van de Zandschulp had beaten Tommy Paul 7-6 (2), 6-2 in the opening singles match. Tiafoe had lost to Croatian Borna Gojo in a tie the Americans won 2-1.
The Netherlands had opened with a win against Finland.
Defending champion Canada earlier defeated Sweden to take the lead in Group A.
Gabriel Diallo secured the Canadians the point with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Elias Ymer. Vasek Pospisil had given Canada a 1-0 lead by defeating Leo Borg 7-6 (5), 5-7, 6-2. Borg is the son of 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg.
Canada had opened its title defence with a win over host Italy on Wednesday in Bologna, while Sweden was swept by Chile on Tuesday.
Canada is trying to secure its spot in the quarter-finals for the third time in its last four appearances, while Sweden was looking to make it to the last eight for the second time in three years.
Sweden had won the two clashes between the nations, including in the group stage in Madrid in 2021, though Canada was without its top stars at the time — Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov.
The Czech Republic defeated South Korea in Group C in Valencia.
The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the Final 8 that will be played in November in the southern Spanish city of Malaga.
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.