Tennis

Thiem beats De Minaur to give Austria 3-1 win over Australia

Published Sep. 16, 2018 8:50 a.m. ET

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GRAZ, Austria (AP) — Dominic Thiem overcame a spirited fightback by Alex de Minaur to give Austria a 3-1 victory over Australia in a Davis Cup World Group playoff on Sunday.

The eighth-ranked Austrian won 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 but had to come back twice from a break down in the fourth set.

The meaningless last singles rubber, between Dennis Novak and Jordan Thompson, was canceled.

Thiem and Novak won the singles on Friday to give the hosts a 2-0 lead, but Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt teamed with John Peers to win the doubles rubber the following day and keep the tie open.

The result means that Austria, which last played in the World Group in 2013, will be seeded for the 24-team qualifying round of the revamped Davis Cup in February.

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