MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Australia came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 and reach the semifinals of the Davis Cup on Wednesday.
Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden defeated Adam Pavlasek and Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 7-5 in the decisive doubles match to set up a last-four encounter with Finland on Friday.
Tomas Machac defeated Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-5 in the first singles to put the Czech Republic ahead, but Alex de Minaur kept Australia alive by rallying from a set and a break down in a 4-6, 7-6 (2) 7-5 win over Lehecka.
De Minaur, No. 12 in the world, broke back at 3-5 down in the second set and went on to force a tiebreaker. He then broke serve at 5-5 in the final set before closing out the match with four straight points.
Lehecka, No. 31 in the world, finished his season early to be fully fit for the last-eight in Malaga.
Machac broke Thompson's serve once in the first set and twice in the second, including at 5-5 before closing out the match.
Finland upset defending champion Canada 2-1 on Tuesday.
In Thursday's quarterfinals, Novak Djokovic's Serbia faces a Great Britain team depleted by injuries, while Italy takes on the Netherlands.
The second semifinal will be played on Saturday, with the final taking place on Sunday.
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
