Alex De Minaur and Nick Kyrgios led Australia to a 2-1 win over Great Britain on January 9, 2020, eliminating the British team from the ATP Cup. Although both are top-tier players, this was their first time playing as a pair. To ensure a victory, Lleyton Hewitt made a tactical last-minute adjustment by selecting them for the doubles clash. With this win, Australia advances to the semi-finals to compete against either David Goffin of Belgium or Rafael Nadal of Spain.
In his singles showdown against Cameron Norrie, Nick Kyrgios delivered a standout performance, using his serve to keep the British player on the defensive. Not entirely satisfied with his usual approach, Kyrgios decided to mix things up with an underarm serve. This strategic gamble caught Norrie off guard, breaking the flow of the game and allowing Kyrgios to hit the ball into unexpected areas of the court. He ultimately cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory, marking a strong start in the inaugural ATP Cup.
Alex De Minaur suffered a hard-fought loss in his singles match against the veteran Dan Evans. The match became a fascinating clash between Evans's experience and De Minaur's youthful energy. Though De Minaur showed great skill and managed to push the boundaries of the game, the pressure eventually told, leading to a tight 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 victory for Evans. Following this unexpected singles defeat, the Australian captain decided to reshuffle the lineup for the doubles match to regain momentum.
The quarter-final reached a fever pitch during the doubles match, pitting Australia's De Minaur and Kyrgios against Great Britain's Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury. After splitting the first two sets 6-3 and 3-6, the match descended into a grueling 30-minute tie-breaker in the third set. The tension peaked at 16-17 points before Australia finally secured the 2-1 overall victory. The Australian camp erupted in celebration with hugs and cheers, almost forgetting the post-match handshakes in their excitement. Kyrgios later admitted it was the most stressful tie-breaker of his career, noting that the intensity of the match made the win feel even more rewarding.
When climbing the 3rd set London single’s player to serve on 16-17 points declared the Australian team’s win by 2-1. The win was celebrated by hugs and shoulder-lifts, even forgetting to shake hands with the opponents. Kyrgios said that this was his toughest tie-breaker which deserves red-win tonight since it was the stressful matc