Nick Kyrgios took Australia on an express-route ride back to the Davis Cup semi-finals for only the second time in a decade by clinching the tie against the United States at Pat Rafter Arena.
The often controversial Kyrgios grabbed the point Australia needed on Sunday with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-4 victory over Sam Querrey, setting up a clash with Belgium for a place in the 2017 final.
Kyrgios will still have plenty of critics but recent results - including two wins over Novak Djokovic and a semi-final loss to eventual champion Roger Federer in Miami - mean he's now one of the hottest players on tour.
Kyrgios is due to face Sock in Sunday's opening reverse singles rubber, although Hewitt is anticipating another curve ball from the USA after the world number 15 was a late replacement for Sam Querrey in the doubles.
Kyrgios is in incredible form but knowing Querrey beat him not so long ago, this game is going to be a tough one. "I'm trying to get better every day and it's a massive difference". "Honestly, it's another thing to say I've been preparing but to actually deliver, it feels pretty good". I played well on clay a year ago, had a couple of good results.
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Subs: Anthony Martial (for Lingard, 63) 5, Marouane Fellaini (for Rashford, 75) 5, Timothy Fosu-Mensah (for Mkhitaryan, 90) 5. Other times you have to play one touch, you keep the ball, you turn, one more touch, you lose the ball.
USA captain Jim Courier threw another curve ball by sending world No 25 Querrey onto Pat Rafter Arena instead of No 15 Jack Sock, who was originally slated to face the in-form Kyrgios.
Peers and Groth raced out of the blocks to win the first set in just 27 minutes and they looked good value to continue their positive Davis Cup run after previous doubles wins against Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Sock, who has played 5hr 34min of tennis in two days, is scheduled to play Kyrgios first-up, with John Isner to take on Thompson in the fifth and final match. "Ever since Melbourne, we all kept the group chat going, we all kept supporting each other when we're on the road and then we always had one eye on it - or at least I did", Kyrgios said.
Hewitt added: "I couldn't be prouder of my boys". In the first reverse singles Sunday, India's Ramkumar Ramanathan outclassed Fayziev 6-3 6-2 in just over an hour to put India 4-0 ahead. The last time Australia reached the last four of the Davis Cup was in 2015, when they lost 3-2 to Great Britain in Glasgow. Ismailov said he was glad he could give his side a consolation win in the last rubber.
"At the end of the day we played the big points better at the end".
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