John Millman comes from behind to defeat Thiago Monteiro and leads Australia to Davis Cup finals
Australia has booked its spot at the Davis Cup finals after John Millman came from behind to defeat Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.
Tennis
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Get the AO honours out Scott Morrison or whoever handles it, Johnny Millman, you are a star.
As the early evening sun spread across Memorial Drive on Saturday, the Queenslander was a set down in the tie’s fourth rubber, Australia 2-1 ahead but the swing heavily Brazil’s way.
His opponent, Thiago Monteiro, a formidable 25-year-old lefty had seemingly evoked not only the spirit of Gustavo Kuerten but of countrymen Pele and Ronaldo too. It was not looking good.
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Yet Millman, five years older and the winner of an impossibly draining three set match on Friday, has a sterling pedigree of his own, the second set ground out on a tie-break and, finally, the third, 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 7-6(3) and a victory for the ages, Australia heading to Madrid for the November finals, 3-1 the final score.
“You play for the green and gold and you can’t die wondering,” said Millman of his three hour five minute triumph.
“It was a little bit of new territory for me.”
It is pushing 17 years since Australia (28 titles all up) last won the Davis Cup but if this tie against Brazil is any indicator, the competition’s demise – much predicted before last year’s wholesale revamp – can be put on hold, maybe forever.
Twenty-fifth in the world rankings to Australia’s 10, Brazil promised little before their third ranked player, the teenager Thiago Seyboth Wild won a major tournament in Chile a week ago and turned out on Friday against Millman with such a ferocity that it appeared at times to be a case of the second coming.
But, slowly Seyboth Wild faltered, all blown out eventually, the win for Millman as thrilling as anything the Queenslander has achieved he said, Jordan Thompson earlier claiming the tie opener for Australia.
So overnight, 2-0, a nifty wrap up in the doubles, then a beer and siesta while the reverse singles played out.
Only no, Saturday’s opener matched its predecessor for excitement, Aussies John Peers and James Duckworth two points off a win, the Brazil pair blowing four consecutive match points before sending us into a fourth match.
Much as the tension grew, so did the volume, raucous at times, each team bench seemingly perched on an ant bed.
Millman is the sort of star to make his fans sick to the stomach with every point lost, no-one wants to see somebody so nice put through the wringer. Sadly Monteiro, a cracking back-courter felt otherwise, it was at times, watching from behind the sofa stuff until the final few points.
There was tennis nobility here, Carlos Ramos umpired two matches and we had the befuddling sight of players fetching their own towels (coronavirus) after every point, the cause aside, frankly overdue.
Monteiro meanwhile, a lefty we didn’t know about turned out to be charming and epitomised why the Davis Cup must live on and why its home and away format should not have changed.
Under its splendid new canopy, the shame is that it will be a long time before Adelaide hosts another Davis Cup fight, there are just not enough ties to go about.
And for anyone to miss out on such drama is a deep shame indeed.