Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt full of praise for his team after Australia advances to the semifinal stage

Team Australia pulled off a stunning upset on Thursday when they defeated the United States to reach the semifinals at the 2024 Davis Cup in Malaga, much to the delight of team captain Lleyton Hewitt.

The Aussies took a 1-0 lead when World No.77 Thanasi Kokkinakis upset American star Ben Shelton in the opening singles match. Top-ranked American and US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz would level the score with his win over Alex de Minaur, leaving each nation's fate in the hands of their respective doubles teams.

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Australia prevails in doubles, prompting praise from Hewitt

The final match saw the Australian team of Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson defeat Shelton and Tommy Paul, who were late replacements for the more experienced American doubles team of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.

Following their victory, former World No.1 Hewitt, who captains the Australian Davis Cup team, was full of pride in his team. The two-time Grand Slam champion was a member of Team Australia when they lifted the Davis Cup title in 2003.

"We've got a b****y rich history in this competition over a number of years, well over 100 years, so these boys know it's a great honor every time you get the chance to wear the green and gold out here," said Hewitt in an interview with The Tennis Channel. "We've had a group of six guys that have really put their hands up the last three or four years now. They've gelled together well and I'm just super proud of the whole team as a collective."

Australia advances to the final four, where they'll take on defending champions Italy in what should be a highly entertaining matchup.