MALAGA, Spain – Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin helped Australia reach the Davis Cup final for a second straight year on Friday.
Popyrin gave Australia a 1-0 lead against Finland when he beat Otto Virtanen in straight sets 7-6 (5), 6-2.
De Minaur then closed the books when he defeated Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-3 to give Australia a 2-0 victory.
Novak Djokovic’s Serbia will face Jannik Sinner’s Italy in the other semi-final on Saturday on the hard surface of the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, Spain.
Popyrin got the better of Virtanen in the first set, saving a set point while trailing 6-5. In the tiebreaker, he won the first set following a precise forehand.
Virtanen had been Finland’s hero in a victory over Canada, the event’s defending champions, on Tuesday. He had won his singles and doubles matches. His service, however, let him down in the second set against Popyrin, while his fifth double fault cost him a break.
De Minaur, for his part, converted five of his 18 break chances against Ruusuvuori.
Australia ranks second for most Davis Cup titles with 28, behind the United States (32), but has not triumphed since 2003.
2023-11-24 17:38:00
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