Tennis-Gutsy Australia see off Czechs to make Davis Cup semi-finals

Australia's doubles pair of Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell secured their team's progress with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Jiri Lehecka and Adam Pavlasek in the decider after Alex de Minaur edged past Lehecka 4-6 7-6(2) 7-5 to level the tie at 1-1. The Czechs, who arrived at the Finals with a 9-0 win-loss record from three Group Stage ties in September, were seeking a first victory over Australia since 1975 and Tomas Machac beat Jordan Thompson 6-4 7-5 to give them a 1-0 lead.

(Updates with result, details) MALAGA, Nov 22 (Reuters) -

Last year's runners-up Australia powered into the semi-finals of the Davis Cup with a battling 2-1 win over three-times champions Czech Republic that set up a showdown with this year's surprise package Finland. Australia's doubles pair of Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell secured their team's progress with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Jiri Lehecka and Adam Pavlasek in the decider after Alex de Minaur edged past Lehecka 4-6 7-6(2) 7-5 to level the tie at 1-1.

The Czechs, who arrived at the Finals with a 9-0 win-loss record from three Group Stage ties in September, were seeking a first victory over Australia since 1975 and Tomas Machac beat Jordan Thompson 6-4 7-5 to give them a 1-0 lead. Yet it was not to be their day as Australia, who lost to Canada in the 2022 final, remained on course for a 29th crown in the premier men's team competition to get closer to the United States who are top of the pile with 32 titles.

Up next for Lleyton Hewitt's side in Friday's semi-final are outsiders Finland, who defied the odds to end Canada's reign as champions a day earlier. Machac, the Czech number two, backed up an early break with a comfortable service game and withstood a strong fightback from Thompson at 5-4 in the first set of the opening match.

There was little to separate the hard-hitting pair in the second set up to 4-4 and Machac traded breaks with his opponent before edging ahead to seal the victory with a forehand winner. Australia were without Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was forced to withdraw from the Finals with an ankle injury.

Later, Australian Open quarter-finalist Lehecka saved five break points in the 10th game of the second singles contest and won a tight opening set with a big serve but surrendered the next amid a late charge from De Minaur in the tiebreak. The 22-year-old Lehecka regrouped in the decider and could have gone 4-2 up but an inspired De Minaur kept chipping away and raised his level towards the end to prevail.

Italy will take on the Netherlands before Novak Djokovic's Serbia meet Britain in Thursday's quarter-final double-header.

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