Australia has taken a commanding 2-0 advantage over Sweden in their Davis Cup first round encounter after Alex de Minaur and Aleksandar Vukic secured victories in their respective singles matches in Stockholm.
With Nick Kyrgios and Jordan Thompson sidelined due to injuries, Vukic had the chance to make his international debut.
De Minaur faced a tough challenge in the opening set but ultimately triumphed over Mikael Ymer with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-1 on Saturday AEDT.
Despite being hampered by injuries, Lleyton Hewitt’s squad received a boost as de Minaur dominated the contest right from the start against Ymer, a former top-50 player who recently returned from an 18-month anti-doping ban.
Alex De Minaur claims victory. Getty Images for ITF
“It was a challenging match, quite competitive,” de Minaur reflected during his post-match interview.
“Mikael played well. I anticipated he would be a tough competitor, so I’m thrilled to secure a win for Australia and ensure we start strong.”
In the next match, debutant Vukic took on Leo Borg and emerged victorious with a score of 6-4, 6-4 in the second singles rubber.
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Aleksandar Vukic celebrates his debut victory. Getty Images for ITF
“Leo is an excellent player,” Vukic commented.
“He made it quite challenging, and it’s always tough playing against the home crowd. Alex set a great precedent before me, and I hope we can rest up before the doubles squad steps up to do their part.”
In the doubles encounter on Sunday morning AEDT, Matthew Ebden and John Peers will face off against Filip Bergevi and Andre Goransson.
The following singles matches will feature de Minaur clashing with Borg, while Vukic will compete against Ymer.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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