By Tennis Now | Saturday, September 16, 2017
John Peers and Jordan Thompson crushed Ruben Bemelmans and Arthur de Greef, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, staking Australia to a 2-1 lead over Belgium in the Davis Cup semifinals.
Photo credit: IMAGELLAN/Davis Cup Facebook
Belgian fans were ready to erupt at the start of today’s doubles match.
Australia’s John Peers and Jordan Thompson pressed a major mute button.
Watch: France Within One Win of Davis Cup Final
Peers and Thompson demolished Ruben Bemelmans and Arthur de Greef, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, staking Australia to a 2-1 lead over Belgium in the best-of-five match Davis Cup semifinals on the red clay of Palais 12 in Brussels, Belgium.
Fiercely-focused, the green-and-gold duo attacked the front court with finely-tuned precision, probed the center of the court with drives down the middle and carved out sharp-angled volleys in overwhelming the host.
“We had a job to do today and we came out and did it from start to finish,” Peers said in his on-court interview afterward. “Playing with Thommo and in front of this crowd and perform the way we did is just incredible."
Continuing its quest for a 29th Davis Cup championship, Australia can secure its spot in its first Davis Cup final since 2003 when it defeated Spain on the grass of Melbourne.
Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt was the No. 1 singles player on Australia’s last Davis Cup championship team and will try to guide the nation back to the final tomorrow.
Sunday’s reverse singles opens with Australian No. 1 Nick Kyrgios against Belgium’s Davis Cup leader David Goffin with both men coming off physically-punishing victories on Friday’s opening day of play.
The 20th-ranked Kyrgios is 3-0 lifetime vs. Goffin, including a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory in the Tokyo final last year. This will be their first clash on red clay.
Australia’s John Millman is set to play Steve Darcis in the fifth and final rubber tomorrow.
The 33-year-old Darcis knows all about Davis Cup pressure. Darcis has won four clinching matches in his Davis Cup career, including sealing the 2010 victory over Ausrtalia.
A win in tomorrow’s reverse singles will propel Australia into the November 24-26th Davis Cup final against either France or Serbia.
Dominating net, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut swept Serbia’s Filip Krajinovic and Nenad Zimonjic, 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (3), putting host France within one victory of a Davis Cup final return on red clay at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France.
Delivering a fired-up front, Peers and Thompson played dynamic doubles dominating today’s match from the start.
The Australian duo shrewdly exploited the seam down the center of the court in charging to a one-set lead.
World No. 2 doubles standout Peers served out the second-set emphatically.
A Thompson smash gave the pair double set point. Peers pumped an ace to seal a two-set lead.
The green-and-gold broke to start the third set, steamrolling through the finish line.
The ease of the pair’s victory amid the red-hot cauldron of Davis Cup semifinal pressure, astonished the Aussies.
"It was surprising,” Thompson said. “Davis Cup doubles you usually see marathon five-setters. We love to see the green and gold (fans). We couldn't ask for more."