The United States and Australia are Davis Cup heritage, so it was appropriate that fans at the Palacio de Deportes in Málaga, Spain were treated to a classic.

In the 48th meeting between the two nations, the most played nation rivalry in the tennis competition’s history, Australia played their cards right to win the tie 2-1 on Thursday (21 November) and head to the semi-finals for the third year on the trot.

Thanasi Kokkinakis put them on their way with a thrilling 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (14) victory against Ben Shelton, before world number four Taylor Fritz beat no. 4 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 a week on from their meeting at the ATP Finals.

That meant the tie went down to the doubles. Nothing guaranteed, but not a surprise given the strength of the respective teams.

The wildcard came from USA’s last-minute decision to overhaul their selection, switching from Olympic silver medallists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram to singles players Tommy Paul and Shelton.

It was a gamble that did not pay off: Australia’s Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson prevailed 6-4, 6-4 and sent the Americans packing.

“It was a matchup decision in this case, and I wouldn’t change a thing,” USA captain Bob Bryan stoically admitted after the match. “We were hoping to catch the Aussies a little bit by surprise, but those guys rose to the occasion.”