Australia concluded its United Cup campaign in the quarter-finals after progressing from the group stage in Sydney. Key player Alex de Minaur achieved a provisional career-high ATP ranking of World No. 5 following his performances, which included singles and mixed doubles victories. De Minaur has subsequently decided to withdraw from Australia's upcoming Davis Cup qualifying tie against Ecuador, citing injury prevention.
United Cup: Group Stage Progression
Australia's United Cup tie against Czechia was decided on Tuesday night in Sydney. Czechia initially took a 1-0 lead after Barbora Krejcikova defeated Australia's Maya Joint 6-4, 6-1 in the women's singles. Krejcikova, a 2021 French Open winner and 2024 Wimbledon champion, broke Joint's serve early in both sets. Joint, playing her first match of the year after missing Australia's previous win over Norway due to illness, had achieved a world ranking of No. 32 in the previous season, securing two titles. Krejcikova, aged 30 and ranked WTA No. 63, had recently returned to competition.
Alex de Minaur leveled the tie for Australia by defeating Jakub Mensik of Czechia 6-4, 6-1 in the men's singles match, which lasted 91 minutes. De Minaur, who had previously lost to Casper Ruud in his first group match, saved all four break points he faced against Mensik and maintained an undefeated record against him in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
The tie advanced to a decisive mixed doubles match. Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt selected Alex de Minaur to partner with Storm Hunter, replacing John-Patrick Smith. De Minaur and Hunter secured a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Dalibor Svrcina and Miram Skoch, giving Australia a 2-1 win. This result positioned Australia as the top team in Group D, securing their advancement to the quarter-finals. Czechia also qualified for the last eight as a best runner-up. Storm Hunter had also contributed to Australia's campaign with a singles victory and a doubles win with John-Patrick Smith in the earlier tie against Norway.
United Cup: Quarter-Finals Against Poland
Australia subsequently faced Team Poland in the quarter-finals in Sydney. Alex de Minaur defeated Hubert Hurkacz in a singles match lasting two hours and 18 minutes, which tied the contest. During this match, de Minaur saved nine break points in his initial four service games and won 21 consecutive points on serve later in the second set, achieving an 82 percent first-serve success rate. This performance marked an improvement from his earlier tournament loss to Casper Ruud, where his first-serve percentage was 55 percent with eight double faults.
Following his singles victory, captain Lleyton Hewitt opted to rest Alex de Minaur from the decisive mixed doubles match. Hewitt stated that de Minaur had been experiencing "a few tweaks" and had undergone extensive off-season training for five-set matches. The decision was made to protect de Minaur's physical well-being and prevent potential injury given the demands of his singles match. In de Minaur's absence, Storm Hunter partnered with John-Patrick Smith. They were defeated 6-4, 6-0 by Poland's Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa, which concluded Australia's United Cup participation.
Alex de Minaur's Provisional Career-High Ranking
Alex de Minaur's performances, including his United Cup victories, combined with Felix Auger-Aliassime's loss on the same day, led to his provisional career-high ranking of World No. 5 in the live ATP rankings. If this ranking is maintained, he would be seeded fifth at the upcoming Australian Open, behind Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Novak Djokovic.
Davis Cup Withdrawal Decision
Alex de Minaur, currently ranked World No. 6, will not participate in Australia's upcoming Davis Cup qualifying tie against Ecuador. The tie is scheduled to take place on clay courts in Quito, Ecuador, from February 6-7, immediately following the Australian Open final.
De Minaur's decision marks his first voluntary absence from a Davis Cup tie since his debut in 2018; previous absences were due to injury in 2020 and 2024. He stated that his choice was made after consulting with Australia's Davis Cup captain, Lleyton Hewitt, and was driven by a desire to prevent potential injuries, referencing physical issues experienced over the past year.
Captain Hewitt supported de Minaur's withdrawal, noting the challenging factors of the tie, including its timing, location, and the clay surface. Hewitt indicated that the decision prioritized de Minaur's long-term health, aiming to avoid a recurrence of a chronic hip injury in 2024 that impacted his season and led to his absence from a Wimbledon quarter-final. De Minaur has the number "109" tattooed on his chest, signifying his status as Australia's 109th Davis Cup representative.