Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson booked Australia's place in the Davis Cup semi-finals after the pair clinched their deciding match against the United States to win 2-1. 

The pair, who won gold at the Paris Olympics, beat Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton 6-4 6-4 to put Lleyton Hewitt's side into their third successive semi-final at the men's team event.

Australia, who have won the tournament 28 times, largely had Thanasi Kokkinakis to thank after his remarkable triumph over Shelton in the first match of the day.

Kokkinakis saved four match points and let slip six of his own before eventually prevailing 6-1 4-6 7-6 (16-14) in an engrossing encounter that lasted two hours and 14 minutes. 

However, in the rematch of a recent ATP Finals group-stage match, Taylor Fritz emerged victorious over Alex De Minaur as he did in Turin a week ago. 

Despite De Minaur going 2-0 up in the second set, Fritz roared back to earn a 6-3 6-4 victory to send the tie the distance in Malaga. 

But Australia held their nerve, and will discover their opponents later on Thursday when reigning champions Italy take on Argentina.

Ebden and Thompson’s win came after United States’ captain Bob Bryan opted for a late change, with Paul and Shelton replacing Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

“We were expecting the other pair, but we knew they’ve got incredible players who can play doubles,” said Ebden.

“We were ready. A slight adjustment obviously. More huge serving singles players than the doubles craft, maybe, but it was just as big a challenge as any.

"Out here, finals live match, just to play with Jordan here was real fun. Following what Kokk did, unfortunately Alex went down, but what a day. So fun, so happy.”

Data Debrief: Australia ready to right Davis Cup wrongs

Australia have failed to win the Davis Cup since 2003, but they will be confident of halting that streak this time around. 

If they take the trophy, they will have reason to thank Kokkinakis, whose tie-break win against Shelton was the longest an Australian player had featured in at the tournament, surpassing Pat Rafter's win over David Rikl in the 1997 quarter-finals of the competition (15-13). 

Ebden and Thompson also shone when it mattered most, serving four aces compared to Paul and Shelton's two, while also winning 92% of their first-serve points. 

Taylor Fritz has put himself in a strong position to make it to the ATP Finals semis after a comeback win against Alex de Minaur.

Fritz rallied in three sets to triumph 5-7 6-4 6-3 in just over two hours, sealing De Minaur's fate, as he crashed out having failed to win a match.

The Australian made a strong start as he attempted to overturn the odds to reach the semi-finals in his maiden tournament and took control with a break late on, winning the final three games of the first set to take an early advantage.

Fritz fought back, protecting his serve in the opening game before finding his edge late on, and though De Minaur valiantly defended two set points, he could not prevent a decider.

The American eased into cruise control after that, taking a 4-1 lead with a three-game winning streak, from which he did not look back.

"Even though I won the match I feel like there wasn't necessarily any moments when I changed too much," Fritz said.

"He was all over me when I did a great job, but towards the end of the second set, I began to find my serve and I started serving much better.

"When I wasn't creating the first serves, he was just killing me from the baseline. It just gave me a little bit of comfort to just stay in the match and not be under so much pressure all the time. It was still incredibly tough."

His attention now turns to the late match in the Ilie Nastase Group between Jannik Sinner, who has already progressed to the final four, and Daniil Medvedev. The Russian must win in straight sets to progress, but if he drops a set or loses, Fritz will advance along with the world number one. 

Data Debrief: On the brink

Any further involvement at the ATP Finals for Fritz may hinge on favours from elsewhere, but he worked hard on Thursday to put himself within touching distance of the semi-finals for the second time.

He struggled against the big serves of De Minaur, whose aggressive approach saw him outhit Fritz with 12 winners to seven, though he could not translate it into a win.

It means that Fritz (nine) is the first American player to register 9+ wins against top-10 opponents in a single season since Pete Sampras (10) and Andre Agassi (12) in 1999.

Daniil Medvedev credited his ability to "block out the noise" as crucial in getting his ATP Finals campaign up and running with a straight-sets victory over Alex de Minaur.

Medvedev, who lost his opening game of the tournament to Taylor Fritz, returned to winning ways with a 6-2 6-4 triumph over the Australian in 78 minutes on Tuesday. 

The Russian cut a frustrated figure in his defeat to Fritz on Sunday, breaking his racket and was docked a point after serving a third consecutive double fault during the encounter.

However, the fourth seed produced an expertly measured performance, winning 20 out of 31 baseline points in the opening set to claim the early advantage. 

The second set was more evenly contested, but Medvedev secured a crucial break point in the ninth game, going on to seal his first top 10 win on hard courts since March. 

"After the last match I was too tired to fight mentally the way I do and so, during the match, when it doesn't work your way, you want to win and when you start losing you get frustrated," Medvedev said. 

"So I went into this match thinking, if I lose I go home on Thursday for sure and if I win then I have the chance to have a good feeling. I tried to hit some shots and it worked well and I'm ok with it.

"A lot of football players do it [block the noise]. It's more about social media and for sure after my performance with Taylor and some of my comments ... I tried to read it less.

"I went into this match trying to block the noise even from myself, so no tantrums and I really didn't care what was happening on the court."

Medvedev will seek to bolster his hopes of progressing from the John Newcombe Group when he takes on Jannik Sinner next, with the Italian in action against Fritz later on Tuesday. 

Data Debrief: Cool, calm and collected

Medvedev kept his hopes of sealing a second ATP Finals crown alive with a composed display against De Minaur, improving his record to 45-19 for the season. 

While the Russian produced more unforced errors (18) than De Minaur (15), Medvedev showed his quality by hitting 24 winners, 14 of which came with his forehand. 

Medvedev also claimed his sixth top 10 win of 2024, while also improving his head-to-head record against his Australian opponent to 7-3, avenging his defeat in the French Open round of 16 earlier this year. 

After almost a month out of action, Jannik Sinner was delighted to shake off his rustiness with a straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur at the ATP Finals.

Playing on home soil in Turin, the Italian reeled off a 6-3 6-4 victory over De Minaur in 85 minutes, making a winning start to his bid to escape the Ilie Nastase Group, also containing Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev.

It was Sinner's first match since he won the Shanghai Masters on October 13, but he overcame some early nerves to showcase his impressive power from the baseline.

Asked about the impact of his long wait between matches, Sinner said: "Considering that, I'm very happy. 

"I started off with some unforced errors. He was playing great in the beginning of the match, so I just tried to stay there mentally, knowing that hopefully at some point my tennis would arrive. It arrived quite early, and I started to return very well.

"My serve, for sure I have to improve if I want to win the next match. Against Taylor, today he played really well. Hopefully this can give me confidence for the next one."

Data Debrief: The man for the big stage

Sinner's victory over ninth-ranked De Minaur is his 13th against a top-10 player in ATP events this calendar year, having also done so in 2023.

He is just the fifth player aged 23 or under to reach that mark in back-to-back seasons since 1973, after legendary quartet Bjorn Borg (1977-79), Ivan Lendl (1980-82), Pete Sampras (1993-94) and Rafael Nadal (2008-09)

Jack Draper labelled his US Open triumph over Alex de Minaur as a "dream come true", but insists he still has another level to come at Flushing Meadows. 

Draper, who is yet to drop a set at the tournament, advanced to his maiden grand slam semi-final in straight sets against the world number 10 in New York. 

In the last 40 years (since 1985), only Novak Djokovic and Ivan Lendl have reached the men's singles semi-finals at the US Open with fewer games dropped than the Briton this year (36).

Draper is also the lowest-ranked player left in the tournament, and is the first British men’s player to reach the semi-finals at the US Open since Andy Murray in 2012.

"It's amazing, honestly. To be out here in my first match on the biggest court in the world, honestly it's a dream come true for me," Draper said.

"Thank you for all the support, it means the world. I think I played a solid match and I feel the best fitness-wise that I've been in a long time.

"I think that's where Alex has got me in the past. I also think he was maybe struggling a little bit today with something and that may have helped me a little bit.

But standing in his way of reaching the final is world number one Jannik Sinner, who beat Daniil Medvedev in four sets at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

The Italian is the only player remaining in the tournament to win a grand slam title, having done so earlier this year at the Australian Open. 

And while the challenge looks an imposing one, Draper insisted he still has more in the tank as he aims to achieve what would be the biggest win of his career. 

"This is not an overnight thing for me," Draper added. "I felt like my level today was solid, there were some glimpse of really good stuff.

"I still have some levels to go if I get pushed."

Jack Draper swatted Alex de Minaur aside in straight sets to reach his maiden grand slam semi-final at the US Open on Wednesday.

World number 25 Draper has enjoyed a breakout tournament at Flushing Meadows, not dropping a set en route to becoming Britain's first US Open quarter-finalist since Andy Murray in 2016, and he carried that form into the last four.

The opening set featured three straight breaks of serve early on but it was Draper who edged that battle, dictating the tempo from deep and winning 84% of points behind his first serve as he took the opener 6-4.

De Minaur struggled to handle the 22-year-old's heavy groundstrokes as he gave up another early break in the second set, only to hit back to level things up at 4-4.

Draper, though, held his nerve after going 5-4 down, holding to love then immediately breaking to surge into a two-set lead.

He only improved from there and dominated the third set, producing one highlight-reel winner from his left hand after being forced to improvise with a series of lobs from deep.

Breaks in games five and seven brought up a chance to serve for the match, and Draper produced four outstanding points in succession to clinch his place in the last four, where he will face Jannik Sinner or Daniil Medvedev.

Data Debrief: Draper dominates again

For a player who had never previously gone beyond round two at any grand slam, the manner of Draper's progression at Flushing Meadows has been astonishing.

He has only dropped 36 games at the tournament thus far. In the last 40 years (since 1985), only Novak Djokovic (27 in 2016, 32 in 2012 and 33 in 2013) and Ivan Lendl (34 in 1987) have ever reached the men's semi-finals at the US Open while losing fewer games. 

Alex de Minaur has confirmed he will particpate in the US Open later this month despite withdrawing from the men's singles at the Paris Olympics. 

De Minaur sustained a hip injury against Arthur Fils at Wimbledon that forced him to withdraw from his quarter-final match against Novak Djokovic. 

The Australian did still compete in the men's doubles at the Games alongside Alexei Popyrin, but lost in the first round to beaten finalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. 

De Minaur's best finish at Flushing Meadows came in 2020 when he reached the quarter-finals, losing to eventual champion Dominic Thiem in three sets. 

The world number 10 has also reached the same stage in his two grand slam appearances this year at the Australian Open and French Open. 

"Been working hard trying to recover from my injury," De Minaur wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.

"It’s been very tough missing tournaments and excited to say I’ll be playing US open. Thanks to all the support I’ve gotten, it’s definitely helped me through these tough times."

 

Novak Djokovic is through to the last four at Wimbledon after his quarter-final opponent Alex De Minaur was forced to withdraw from the tournament ahead of their match on Wednesday with a hip injury.

Seven-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic had been due to face ninth seed De Minaur on Centre Court.

But the Australian will be unable to play, meaning second seed Djokovic progresses to the semi-finals where he will take on either Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz.

Daniil Medvedev and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will contest the other semi on Friday.

De Minaur had beaten Arthur Fils in four sets to book his last-eight clash with Djokovic, producing a strong tournament after also reaching the quarters at the French Open.

But that Fils win also saw him sustain an injury problem which the 25-year-old has been unable to recover from in time.

"Obviously not an announcement I wanted to make by any means," read a statement from De Minaur.

"I am devastated to pull out due to a hip injury, a little tear of the fibre cartilage that kind of is at the end of or connects to the adductor.

"I felt a loud crack during the last three points of my match against Fils and got a scan [on Tuesday] and it confirmed that this was the injury and with a high risk of making it worse if I was to step on court."

The development means the match between Musetti and Fritz on Court One is the only men's singles contest that will take place on Wednesday.

Taylor Fritz fought from behind to win a five-set thriller against Alexander Zverev on Centre Court, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the second time.

Fritz, who previously made the last eight in 2022, was on the brink of defeat as a typical big-serving display from Zverev saw him take the first two sets.  

However, the match turned on a fourth-set tie-break dominated by the American, Zverev losing his way as he missed out on a first quarter-final appearance at SW19, losing 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

The Centre Court crowd had to remain patient for a break in the opening set with both players excellent with ball in hand, Zverev winning 83% of his first-serve points to Fritz's 81%. A powerful backhand ensured it was Zverev who got the breakthrough nine games in.

Neither player could force a break point in a slog of a second set, which Zverev took in a tie-break, roaring to the crowd as Fritz sliced a backhand wide on set point. 

But Fritz refused to go away, drawing Zverev to the net far more regularly and finally breaking the German's serve at the 15th attempt. 

It was a similar story in the fourth as both players served well, but Fritz stepped up in the tie-break, Zverev looking dejected as he fell 6-1 down before slicing a backhand long on set point.  

The momentum was with Fritz from there as he secured a huge break four games into the decider, holding his nerve from there to tee up a meeting with first-time grand slam quarter-finalist Lorenzo Musetti.

Earlier on Monday, Alex de Minaur sealed his place in the last eight – where he will face Holger Rune or Novak Djokovic – with a 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory over Arthur Fils.

Ninth seed De Minaur squandered a 4-2 lead in the third set but recovered to take the match in four, his flat groundstrokes proving too much for spirited 20-year-old Fils.

The Australian suffered a scare as he appeared to hurt his ankle on match point, but he played down fears over his condition after the match. 

"I will be alright, I will find a way," he said. "I made it a lot harder than I should have but I'm happy to get through."

Data Debrief: Rare upset for Fritz 

Fritz showed great character to hold firm in the face of Zverev's big-serving display before launching a rousing comeback in front of a delighted Centre Court crowd.

He previously held a 1-13 record against top-10 opponents at grand slams, but he has now become the first American to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in a single year since Andy Roddick in 2009.

Hubert Hurkacz was the highest-profile casualty on day four of the Wimbledon men's singles, with the seventh seed forced to retire injured during his clash with Arthur Fils.

The Pole beat Roger Federer on the way to reaching the semi-finals in 2021, while he was runner-up to new world number one Jannik Sinner in Halle last month.

However, when trailing by two sets to one against his French opponent, Hurkacz sustained a knee injury during the tie-break in the fourth.

Despite valiantly attempting to battle on, he aggravated the problem further soon after when diving for a return, and was subsequently unable to continue with Fils advancing to round three.

There, he will play Alex de Minaur after the ninth seed enjoyed a straight-sets victory over Jaume Munar.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev also prevailed in three sets as he continued his rich vein of form. The Italian Open champion, who was also runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland-Garros, was a commanding 6-1 6-2 6-4 winner over Marcos Giron. 

Next up for him is Cameron Norrie after the 2022 semi-finalist ousted compatriot Jack Draper in a battle of the Brits on No.1 Court.

Eastbourne champion Taylor Fritz overcame Arthur Rinderknech in four sets, as did 15th seed Holger Rune against Thiago Seyboth Wild.

Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov recovered from two sets down to beat Juncheng Shang in a decider. The 2014 semi-finalist will now play Gael Monfils, who completed a straight-sets victory over fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka.

Although, there was no joy for 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two-time major finalist was beaten in four sets by world number 87 Emil Ruusuvuori.

Andrey Rublev suffered a shock early exit at Wimbledon on Tuesday as numerous other seeds progressed through to the second round.

Rublev, a 17-time ATP Tour champion, reached the quarter-finals at this tournament last year but failed to make it past his opener this time after Argentine Francisco Comesana upset the sixth seed.

Comesana triumphed 6-4 5-7 6-2 7-6 (7-5) on No.2 Court, where play was disrupted by heavy downpour, as Rublev became the highest-ranked male player to fall so far at the All England Club.

Unlike Rublev, fourth seed Alexander Zverev coasted past Roberto Carballes Baenai in straight sets on No. 1 Court.

"I want to compete, I want to do well here at Wimbledon. It's the most historic tennis tournament that we have," Zverev said after reaching the second round for the seventh time in eight attempts at this tournament.

"I've struggled over the years here on these beautiful courts, unfortunately, but I feel different this year."

Hubert Hurcakz progressed through his first challenge, though the seventh seed conceded the first set before defeating Radu Albot 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-4, smashing 24 aces in the process.

Alex de Minaur headed into this year's edition as the ninth favourite and his opening performance befitted that status, overcoming fellow Australian James Duckworth 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4).

Stefanos Tsitsipas fought off Taro Daniel with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-5 in just under two-and-a-half hours as the 11th seed aims to go further than his personal-best fourth-round appearances in 2018 and five years later.

It was not so straightforward for British number one Jack Draper, who secured a hard-fought 3-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory over Elias Ymer under the lights on Centre Court.

Draper is in fine form, having won the Stuttgart Open in June and defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the Queen's Club Championship, and will next meet fellow British player Cameron Norrie.

World number 42 Norrie had little trouble in his first-round test, dispatching Facundo Diaz Acosta in straight sets on No.3 Court.

Data Debrief: Comesana on cloud nine as Zverev powers through

Comesana may have expected to compete with Rublev in his first-round encounter, but this was only his second appearance on grass courts of his career at any level, professional or junior.

The world number 122 managed to battle to a hard-fought triumph after a clinical showing, converting four of five break points he earned.

Zverev had no such difficulty in progressing to the second round, powering 18 aces at an event he has never reached the quarter-finals in.

The German is now 12-2 for the year in major action, having reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and the showpiece at the French Open before defeat to Alcaraz.

Andy Murray celebrated his 1,000th match on the ATP Tour with a battling victory over Alexei Popyrin at the Queen's Club Championships on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old became the fifth active male player to hit quadruple figures for tour-level matches, marking the milestone with a 6-3 3-6 6-3 victory to snap a four-match losing streak.

Murray holds the record for Queen's titles with five and will look to go deep in this tournament once more when he meets Australia's Jordan Thompson in the second round.

The two-time Wimbledon champion acknowledged the struggles of his lengthy career after this first-round triumph, though suggested he did not know about the landmark moment until just before play.

"I didn't realise, but my mum told me before the match that this was my 1000th match on the tour," Murray said in his on-court interview.

"A lot of matches and a lot of wear and tear in the body and it is not easy but I managed to push through."

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco and Richard Gasquet are the other active men's players to hit the 1,000-match mark.

That longevity has served well for Murray, who won his first match at the tournament in 2005 and holds a 32-9 record at the ATP 500 grass-court event since.

"During the match, it is difficult but great reward at the end for the hard work and effort I put into the match," Murray added.

"I have not got too many wins this year, it has been a difficult season but did well to come through in the end. Held quite a few tight service games and managed to serve it out well."

Alex de Minaur overcame Murray at Queen's last year en route to the final before losing out to Carlos Alcaraz, who also secured the Wimbledon title after.

Yet De Minaur will not have the chance to make the showpiece of the Wimbledon warm-up this time around, after losing out to Lorenzo Musetti.

The Italian swept the second seed aside with a 1-6 6-4 6-2 victory, teeing up a second-round meeting with Brandon Nakashima.

Alex de Minaur overcame Sebastian Korda in straight sets to win the Libema Open title on Sunday, clinching a career-high placing in the ATP rankings in the process.

The Australian needed one hour and 31 minutes on court to defeat Korda 6-2 6-4, meaning he triumphed at 's-Hertogenbosch without dropping a set in any round.

Back-to-back breaks got De Minaur through the opener, and though Korda hit straight back following another break early in the second, De Minaur kept the pressure on and got his reward in the sixth game.

De Minaur forced 14 break points overall while saving four of the six he faced, with Korda producing 26 unforced errors in an erratic performance.

Data Debrief: De Minaur enjoying productive year

After beating Casper Ruud to win the Mexican Open final in February, De Minaur has won multiple ATP crowns in a single year for the third time, also triumphing at Sydney, Atlanta and Zhuha in 2019 and in Antalya and Eastbourne in 2021.

He had already clinched a new career-high ATP ranking of eighth with his semi-final win over Ugo Humbert, but he will now rise to seventh on Monday after lifting the trophy.

Alex de Minaur will face Sebastian Korda in the final of the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch after posting a straight-sets win over Ugo Humbert in the last four.

De Minaur – the top seed for the ATP 250 tournament in the Netherlands – needed one hour and 46 minutes to wrap up a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 success over the world number 16, having thrown away a 4-0 first-set lead before holding his nerve in a tiebreak.

The second set was cagey as De Minaur did not give up a single break point and converted one of two he forced, some strong serving ensuring he held off his opponent.

He will face Korda in Sunday's final after the American ended Tallon Griekspoor's title defence at the semi-final stage earlier on Saturday, winning 6-2 6-4.

Meanwhile, Jack Draper will face Matteo Berrettini in the final of the BOSS Open in Stuttgart, having beaten Brandon Nakashima 6-3 6-3 in the semi-finals.

Former Wimbledon runner-up Berrettini came through an all-Italian clash with Lorenzo Musetti in just 67 minutes, winning 6-4 6-0.

Data Debrief: New high for De Minaur

De Minaur is into his 17th ATP Tour-level final, having an 8-8 record in his previous 16. It will be his third on grass, after beating Lorenzo Sonego in Eastbourne in 2021 and losing to Carlos Alcaraz at Queen's last year.

The victory also ensured he will rise to eighth in the world rankings – a new career-high position.

Naomi Osaka crashed out of the Libema Open despite fighting to a tie-break in the final set, with Bianca Andreescu progressing to the semi-finals after a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) win.

Osaka's match was interrupted by rain early on with her in the lead, but Andreescu came back out in top form to take the first set.

The Japanese raced through the second though, taking a 5-0 lead before holding off Andreescu's fightback to go into a decider.

Despite an impressive comeback to force a tie-break in the final set, Osaka became sloppy, with her mistakes contributing to the Canadian's path into the semi-final, where she will face Dalma Galfi.

Elsewhere, Alex de Minaur is through to the semi-finals after a comfortable straight-sets victory over Milos Raonic.

Despite a long break due to bad weather, the Australian eased into the next round with a 7-5, 6-2 victory on Friday.

He will face either Ugo Humbert or Gijs Brouwer in the next round.

Data Debrief: Osaka not close enough, De Minaur in cruise control

Despite winning more points (98 compared to 94), and winning more games (16 to 15), Osaka could not hold her nerve in the tie-break to reach the semi-finals.

Competing as the top seed for the first time in his tour-level career, De Minaur felt no pressure as he rallied in the second set to ensure Raonic would not find a way back into the match, winning his last five games in a row on his way to victory. 

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