Sports
Australia quick to grab 2-0 lead over Belgium
Australia quick to grab 2-0 lead over Belgium
Australia were in a rush at the Davis Cup in Hamburg yesterday as Jason Kubler and Alex de Minaur both won their rubbers in an opening day Group C match with Belgium.In other fixtures, Argentina take on Sweden, Canada face South Korea while Kazakhstan battle the Netherlands as the last-16 group phase got underway.In the opening rubber of Belgium against Australia, Brisbane native Kubler beat Zizou Bergs 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 after being included in the squad as a late entry for his Davis Cup debut.It was also a triumph for Kubler’s much operated upon knee on the hard courts, as the 29-year-old had been playing only on clay. World No. 22 De Minaur then flashed past David Goffin 6-2, 6-2 in just over an hour to secure an opening day triumph for the AustraliansFor De Minaur, there were wider implications of victory. The 23-year-old suffered a dramatic and painful third round defeat to Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open earlier this month, which left him visibly distraught.“If this was any other event, I think it would probably have taken me a little bit longer to forget about what happened in New York, but that is the beauty of a team environment,” said world No. 22 De Minaur. “We have five players out here who have each other’s backs and who are constantly pumping each other up.”In the on-going group phase, nations play two singles matches and then a doubles in a best of three format. The top two teams in the Davis Cup group matches progress to the Final 8 in Malaga to be held from Nov 22 to 27.