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Davis Cup 2018: Semi-Final Preview

By Toby Oliver

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - FEBRUARY 19: Marin Cilic of Croatia returns a shot to Carlos Berlocq of Argentina during the ATP Rio Open 2018 at Jockey Club Brasileiro on February 19, 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - FEBRUARY 19: Marin Cilic of Croatia returns a shot to Carlos Berlocq of Argentina during the ATP Rio Open 2018 at Jockey Club Brasileiro on February 19, 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) /
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Dominic Thiem
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 04: Dominic Thiem of Austria returns the ball during the men’s singles quarter-final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain on Day Nine of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 4, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /

Davis Cup: Austria vs Australia

Perhaps the pick of the play-off ties sees 2017 semi-finalist Australia play Austria in Graz.

Austria have world number 8 and French Open finalist Dominic Thiem in their ranks which will make them a difficult opponent for Australia. Jordan Thompson and rising star Alex de Minaur will play singles for Australia with John Peers and Thompson playing doubles.

Trending. Nadal, Federer, Djokovic Top Rankings. light

Thompson has had a tough year, winning only one match on the main tour. However, some of his best wins have come in Davis Cup. For example, he beat Jack Sock last year in a very impressive performance. Captain Lleyton Hewitt may be saving US Open hero John Millman for Sunday.

Assuming that Thiem wins both singles matches, the doubles will be crucial with Peers and Thompson playing Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer. This will be close because both Peers and Marach are very good doubles players, it will be up to the partners to back them up.

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