Australia recover to reach Davis Cup semi-finals

Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt won the Davis Cup with Australia as a player in 1999 and 2003

Australia fought back to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 and clinch their spot in the Davis Cup semi-finals in Malaga.

However, world number 12 Alex de Minaur came from a set and a break down to beat Jiri Lehecka 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 and send the tie to the deciding doubles.

Wimbledon 2022 doubles champions Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell then beat Lehecka and Adam Pavlasek 6-4 7-5.

Australia will face Finland for a place in Sunday's final.

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World number 78 Machac got the Czechs off to a perfect start with a straight-set win over Thompson, who is 22 places above him in the rankings.

Lehecka then started well against De Minaur, breaking early and saving five break points in a game that included eight deuces to serve out the opener.

The second set unravelled in similar fashion before Lehecka, serving for victory at 5-4, was broken to love by the determined De Minaur.

De Minaur dominated the tie-break and held his nerve well, trading breaks with Australian Open quarter-finalist Lehecka before capitalising on his opponent's wobble at 5-5 before serving out victory.

Experienced pair Ebden and Purcell were then able to see out the tie to secure Australia's place in the last four.

Great Britain's bid for Davis Cup glory begins on Thursday when they take on Serbia, led by Novak Djokovic, in the quarter-finals from 15:00 GMT. The tie will be available to watch live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

The semi-finals will be played on Friday and Saturday, before the champions of the 123-year-old men's team event are decided in Sunday's showpiece.

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