An inspired Alex de Minaur has answered his captain’s call to pilot Australia into the United Cup quarter-finals with two crucial victories in Sydney. The tournament hosts faced potential elimination from the $17 million teams’ event after Maya Joint suffered a 6-4, 6-1 loss to dual Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova in Tuesday night’s opening singles match.
However, de Minaur stepped up to level the must-win clash with Czechia, delivering a commanding 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Jakub Mensik, the youngest player in the world’s top 20. Australia’s tennis ‘Demon’ then excelled again after skipper Lleyton Hewitt asked him to replace John-Patrick Smith and partner Storm Hunter in the deciding mixed doubles. De Minaur and Hunter secured a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Dalibor Svrcina and Miram Skoch, clinching Australia a 2-1 win and Group D honours.
De Minaur Dazzles on Court
While Joint struggled on her return after missing Australia’s weekend win over Norway due to illness, de Minaur shone, rebounding from his season-opening loss to Casper Ruud and improving his perfect record over the 18th-ranked Mensik to five wins from five encounters.
“Obviously I didn’t start the year the way I wanted to, but I tried not to take that match too much into account,” de Minaur said.
De Minaur’s triumph, coupled with a surprise loss for Felix Auger-Aliassime in Canada’s elimination from the event, vaulted the 26-year-old to a career-high No.5 in the live ATP rankings. If he maintains that position when the new rankings are released on Monday, de Minaur will enter the Australian Open seeded fifth, behind only heavyweights Carlos Alcaraz, two-time defending AO champ Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and 10-time winner Novak Djokovic.
Challenges and Triumphs
On track to gain a first-time Grand Slam seeding at this month’s Australian Open, Joint soared to No.32 in the world after a spectacular two-title season in 2025. However, facing Krejcikova — the 2021 French Open winner and 2024 Wimbledon champion — proved too challenging for the underprepared 19-year-old in her first match of the year.
The accomplished Krejcikova, who also boasts a rare career golden slam in doubles, broke Joint in the opening games of both sets, keeping the home favourite on the back foot throughout. Meanwhile, de Minaur captured the headlines for his high-pressure double act, but Hewitt also has Hunter to thank for Australia reaching the quarter-finals for the second time in the past three years.
Team Effort Behind Success
As well as her successful support role on Tuesday night, the resurgent 31-year-old Hunter played the hero in Saturday’s victory over Norway. She won her singles match after deputising for Joint and then combined with Smith to clinch the tie with a thrilling doubles comeback.
“I definitely knew this match was a must-win and, yeah, pressure is a privilege and to do it at home — we had the crowd, home advantage and we weren’t going to lose this one,” Hunter said.
The reward for the 2024 semi-finalists is a likely quarter-final showdown on Friday night at Ken Rosewall Arena with Iga Swiatek’s Team Poland. Czechia also progressed to the last eight as the best runners-up from the three Sydney pools.
This development follows Australia’s strategic adjustments and showcases the depth of talent within the team. As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on de Minaur and his teammates to see if they can capitalize on their momentum and advance further in the competition.
