Australia fall to Ecuador in sensational Davis Cup loss

Lleyton Hewitt's second-string squad, without their perennial inspiration Alex de Minaur, were found wanting in what always shaped as an uncomfortable assignment on the Ecuadorian clay as the hosts took an unassailable 3-0 lead following a doubles defeat for Jordan Thompson and Rinky Hijikata on Sunday.

As the home fans erupted in delight and the victorious veteran duo of Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo rolled around in the clay at the Quito Tennis and Golf Club, Hewitt was left contemplating the worst defeat of his reign.

Jason Kubler won a dead singles rubber 6-4 6-2 against 16-year-old Emilio Camacho, the world No.1398, to round out the 3-1 scoreline.

It was a massive come down after Hewitt's men had reached the final of the men's World Cup of tennis just two seasons ago for the second year in a row.

Accustomed to battling among the elite, Australia, the world's No.4 ranked nation, have now capitulated to the world's 37th ranked nation who don't possess a singles player in the top 200.

Australia, in contrast, have 13 players ranked higher than the leading Ecuadorian, and were able to field two singles players in the top 103, as well as a doubles team featuring players who've both been part of grand slam-winning duos.

Hewitt may have been without top players including de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin and Adam Walton but his side should have had enough experience and quality to prevail.

But already 2-0 down in the best-of-five rubber tie in Quito following first-day singles defeats for world No.103 Hijikata and No.86 James Duckworth, the contest was quickly concluded on Sunday with the Aussies' powerful-looking pairing of Hijikata and Thompson succumbing in straight sets.

The duo again found the high-altitude, clay-court venue, populated by a vociferous home crowd, too hard to handle as they succumbed 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 to 37-year-old Escobar and 32-year-old Hidalgo.

It followed Saturday's famous wins for Alvaro Guillen Meza, who edged Hijikata 6-4 1-6 6-4, and Andres Andrade, the world No.257, who came from a set down to beat Duckworth 3-6 6-3 7-5 in a rain-interrupted match.

De Minaur's absence felt critical for the Australians. He'd made the tough decision to declare himself unavailable for a Davis Cup tie for the first time since debuting in 2018 to help preserve his body after a brutal 2025 campaign.

It was all a far cry from Australia's only previous Davis Cup tie against Ecuador back in 2001 when Hewitt was a key member of a star-studded squad also including Pat Rafter.

Evergreen Raul Viver, the non-playing Ecuadorian captain 25 years ago and still in that position, was the toast of the cheering crowd after their victory.

Australian Associated Press