Alex de Minaur admitted he was “over the moon” after ousting David Goffin to help Australia secure victory over Belgium on Day 1 of the Davis Cup Finals group stage action. After Jason Kubler defeated Zizou Bergs in the opening rubber, de Minaur thrashed Goffin 6-2 6-2 to secure victory for Australia over Belgium.
What was expected to probably be a tight battle, ended in a one-sided match as de Minaur broke Goffin twice in each set to claim a comfortable straight-set win. “I went out there and got the job done, which is what the team expects of me,” de Minaur said, per the Davis Cup website.
“I am over the moon that I was able to deliver today, but we may not have been in this position if it were not for Jason Kubler, who came out on his debut and pulled a rabbit out of the hat. He played with passion and pride and showed everything that Davis Cup is about.
He got the win which gave us a 1-0 lead, which I thought was huge”.
De Minaur responds after a disappointing US Open exit
De Minaur’s US Open run ended with a four-set defeat to Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round.
De Minaur was visibly down after exiting the US Open, but being around the Australian team has helped him put those negative thoughts behind him. “If this was any other event, I think it would probably have taken me a little bit longer to forget about what happened in New York, but that is the beauty of a team environment.
As soon as I landed here it was just a case of getting to work and preparing. It worked, I forgot all about New York and just focused on this match. I managed to play some great tennis and I am very happy with that,” de Minaur said.
On Thursday, Australia plays France. It remains to be seen if de Minaur can help Australia clinch their second win in Group C, in Hamburg.
