AFP, Melbourne :
Young rookie Jordan Thompson claimed a winning double as Australia completed a 4-1 Davis Cup World Group victory over the Czech Republic in Melbourne Sunday.
The 22-year-old, who was handed his debut by captain Lleyton Hewitt after Bernard Tomic made himself unavailable citing scheduling issues, won his second singles rubber of the tie on a Kooyong hardcourt.
Thompson, ranked 65, fought off the 157th-ranked Jan Satral 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in 91 minutes to follow his 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 upset of 54th-ranked Jiri Vesely in Friday’s opening singles.
Vesely earned the Czechs’ only point of the tie when he downed Sam Groth, who substituted Nick Kyrgios, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in Sunday’s other reverse singles.
Australia will now face the United States in the quarter-finals of the teams competition on April 7-9 and will have home advantage.
The Australians were always in control of the Kooyong tie against the hapless Czechs, who played without world number 12 Tomas Berdych and experienced Radek Stepanek, who withdrew from the doubles with injury.
Doubles pair John Peers and Groth secured the tie for Australia when they raced through the scratch Czech pairing of Vesely and Satral 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in Saturday’s doubles.
World number 15 Kyrgios conceded just seven games in reeling off a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over Satral on Friday.
Australia now lead the Czech Republic 8-1 in the Davis Cup competition.
Australia, 28-time winners, have not won the Davis Cup since 2003 and only returned to the competition’s top tier in 2014 after a six-year absence.
