De Minaur signs Australia's presence in the final a year later

With Alex de Miñaur's victory over Emil Ruusuvuori, Australia qualified for the Davis Cup final for the second consecutive year, after beating Finland by two wins to zero.. Without the vitola of yesteryear, with a modest team assembled under the spirit of its captain, the former world number 1 and winner of two Grand Slam titles Lleyton Hewitt, the 28-time champions will face this Sunday the winner of the tie between Italy and Serbia. A year ago, Australia fell to Canada in the direct fight for the Salad Bowl.

A belligerent defender of the old competition system, Hewitt, at the head of the team since 2016, has managed to transmit to his men the committed and hardworking spirit that keeps him as the tennis player in his country with the most games won and the most knockouts played, adapting to a formula which it denies since its implementation. Very far from his qualities, but with certain analogies in the conception of the game, De Miñaur achieved this Friday at the Martín Carpena Pavilion in Malaga his tenth victory in the last 12 matches in Davis: 6-4 and 6-3.

Greater solidity

He didn't care about losing his service to Ruusuvuori from the start, in what was his first match.. Champion this year in Acapulco and finalist in Queen's, Los Cabos and Toronto, the world number 12 made use of his greater solidity and his ability to travel the court tirelessly in search of his opponent's risky shots.

Before, the impeccable career of Otto Virtanen, who had won his last five Davis Cup matches, found its end. Alexei Popyrin gave Australia the first point by winning 7-6 (5) and 6-2, in one hour and 30 minutes. Virtanen, 171st, had a ball to take the first set in the eleventh game, but sent his return out on a second serve from his rival. In the second set he would give up his serve in the sixth, with dire consequences for him.

Popyrin, 24 years old, 40th, champion this year at the ATP 250 in Umag, responded to the credit of his captain and began to say goodbye to the surprising Finland, which on its way to the semifinals has eliminated five champions of the tournament, such as Argentina , which it beat in the qualifying phase, the United States and Croatia, teams it left behind last September in the group stage, and Canada, defending champion of the cup, which it beat last Tuesday at the crossroads of rooms.