THE nail-biting success of Australia's bold but necessary gamble to replace Nick Kyrgios with unlikey hero Sam Groth in the first of two must-win reverse singles has pushed the Davis Cup quarter-final against Kazakhstan into a live fifth rubber. Two-all. Sudden death. Over to you, Lleyton Hewitt.
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What could be Hewitt's farewell appearance in his final competitive year could scarcely have been scripted better; virtually the only thing Australia's most successful Cup player has not done in a national record 40 ties over 17 years is to win a deciding fifth rubber.
Hewitt will face Kazakhstan's 28-year-old Aleksandr Nedovyesov on Sunday afternoon.
The circumstances around this match are quite remarkable, even if Hewitt – who has not won a singles match in six months – is clearly not the player he was. What he remains is a passionate and committed warrior for the Davis Cup cause. Desperate times, etc.
From 0-2 after a dreadful opening day, the Australians collectively were buoyed by Hewitt and Groth's doubles win on Saturday, and captain Wally Masur sufficiently impressed to bench youngsters Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis in favour of the doubles duo for Sunday's reverse singles.
Groth, on his singles debut, responded marvellously, beating Kazakh No.1 Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (8-6). He saved three set points in the second set, and one in the fourth after losing his way slightly in the third, challenged by the persistent and accomplished Kukushkin, a fine Davis Cup player who outplayed Kokkinakis on the opening day.
Fresh from the second fastest serve ever cannoned at Wimbledon, Groth hit 29 aces on the wearing third day court. The celebration was fitting after the finest moment of his career. "We've still got one more to go, but this is probably the most amazing thing I've ever had in tennis," said Groth, 27. It's unbelievable."
The selection decisions, though, were not unanimous. Masur admitted in a Channel Seven interview before play started that he, coach Josh Eagle and key advisor Tony Roche were "not all in agreement on who should play what on this fifth day", but that the call was ultimately his to make.
Masur's preferred option, the choice of Groth over Kyrgios, and then Hewitt in place of Kokkinakis for a live fifth rubber, was communicated to the players on Saturday night. Both the Ks had performed below expectations on Friday, Kokkinakis having failed to adapt to the conditions, and Kyrgios admitting he felt drained and unprepared mentally after a challenging month.
Groth, in contrast, was buoyed by his first live rubber success in Saturday's doubles, after a successful English grasscourt season that culminated with a third round at Wimbledon against Roger Federer in which the Victorian was the only player not named Novak Djokovic to take a set from the great Swiss this year at the All England Club.
Groth plays like most Australians used to: relentless net-rushing behind a big serve. Masur has hinted that grass may not be the home ground surface of choice for too much longer, as the next generation of Kyrgios and company mature, but it should also be noted that Bernard Tomic would have been well-suited to the conditions at Marrara, so much still depends on the personnel.
Masur made a bold call to replace the Australian No.1 with a journeyman who has never played a live singles rubber, and another big decision to call up a 34-year-old veteran who has won only one of his eight singles matches at Tour level this year for the contest that would decide the tie.
The Davis Cup semi-finals will be played on September 18-20.
