Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt has expressed no regrets over his team selection after the host nation's United Cup campaign came to a heartbreaking end in Sydney on Friday night. Despite a typically gutsy and inspirational performance from world No.6 Alex de Minaur, Australia lost the quarter-final tie 2-1 to a strategic Polish team.
De Minaur's Epic Stand Falls Short
The night turned on a monumental effort from Alex de Minaur, who electrified the home crowd at Ken Rosewall Arena with a pulsating three-set victory. Facing the formidable power of Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, de Minaur showcased his trademark resilience. In a marathon encounter lasting two hours and 20 minutes, the Australian star saved an incredible 10 out of 11 break points to secure a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win.
"I love playing here. I love playing in front of you guys. The atmosphere from the very first point to the last was amazing and thank you from the bottom of my heart," de Minaur told the roaring Sydney fans afterwards. He admitted to battling "dark thoughts" in the deciding set but produced a mere two unforced errors to force the tie into a deciding mixed doubles rubber.
Polish Captain's Masterstroke Seals Victory
Earlier, Poland had taken a 1-0 lead after world No.1 Iga Swiatek delivered a harsh 6-1, 6-1 lesson to Australian teenager Maya Joint in just 58 minutes. The match was briefly overshadowed by Swiatek bursting into tears at the first change of ends, though she quickly composed herself to dominate.
With the tie on the line at 1-1, Polish captain Mateusz Terczynski played a tactical blinder. He rested his star singles players, Swiatek and Hurkacz, and instead fielded Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski in the decisive mixed doubles. The move paid off handsomely, as the Polish pair dominated Australia's Storm Hunter and John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 6-0 to seal Poland's place in the semi-finals against the top-seeded USA.
Hewitt Defends De Minaur Decision
The result left Australian fans wondering what might have been, especially as de Minaur appeared to gesture to the captain's box that he was willing to play the doubles. However, Lleyton Hewitt stood firm on his decision to protect his lead player with the Australian Open just nine days away.
"Alex was feeling a few tweaks the last few days and he's been doing a lot of training in the off-season to get ready for five-set matches," Hewitt explained. "We decided that the best thing for him, for his body moving forward, was not to put his hand up to play mixed tonight."
Hewitt added that the quick turnaround and the physical toll of de Minaur's epic singles win made the risk of injury too great. The captain's priority is clearly the Grand Slam in Melbourne, where Maya Joint is now guaranteed to be seeded for the first time, despite her loss to Swiatek.
While Australia's United Cup journey is over, the fighting spirit shown by de Minaur has provided a thrilling preview of the summer of tennis to come.
