ALBURY tennis ace Sam Groth has led Australia to a thrilling Davis Cup victory over Kazakstan.
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After being surprisingly overlooked on day one of the quarter-final at Darwin, Groth teamed with Lleyton Hewitt to win the doubles on Saturday before defeating Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (8-6) yesterday.
Groth’s efforts were the turning point in the tie after Kazakstan raced to a 2-nil lead on the opening day.
From there it was over to veteran Hewitt, who produced a typically gutsy performance to overcome Aleksandr Nedovyesov 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-3 to guide Australia into the semi-finals.
It was fitting that Groth and Hewitt would be the ones to power the Aussie into the semis, after the pair delivered the points in Saturday's doubles rubber.
It wasn't until late on Saturday afternoon that the big-serving Albury local was informed that he would replace Nick Kyrgios.
Groth described the whole experience as “unbelievable".
"This is probably the most amazing thing I've ever had in tennis," he said.
"It's a little surreal I guess, but this is where I want to be and what I've been working towards and it's a very different journey.
“It has been a fantastic couple of days.
“I won’t forget it.”
With the Aussies now set to face either Britain away or France at home, one thing is certain – the Albury journeyman has now established himself as a genuine force in Australian tennis, particularly in the wake of his run at Wimbledon.
Groth was the only man at Wimbledon to claim a set from Roger Federer other than eventual winner Novak Djokovic with an impressive performance in their third round clash.
