Australia will be without their best player in Ecuador…
Earlier this year, Alex de Minaur confirmed he would miss Australia’s Davis Cup qualifier in Ecuador.
Will Alex de Minaur ever reach a Grand Slam semifinal?
What is Alex de Minaur’s ceiling?
He isn’t the only big-name Australian skipping Davis Cup duty, as Alexei Popyrin will also miss the match against Ecuador.
Australia’s captain, Lleyton Hewitt, will be without his two best players for a tricky match at altitude on South American clay.
But what does Hewitt make of the players he has brought with him to Quito, Ecuador?
Lleyton Hewitt insists he has ‘a lot of belief’ in his Davis Cup team
During the official draw ceremony, Hewitt previewed Australia vs Ecuador.
“This is going to be completely different obviously, but I’ve got a lot of belief in my team and my players that will be taking the court,” he said.
“It’s tough conditions to play in, but we’ve been here for the week now and feel acclimatised.
“We feel like we’ve got better every single day with practice.
“We’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
Australia’s Davis Cup team vs Ecuador
- Lleyton Hewitt (Captain)
- Jordan Thompson
- James Duckworth
- Rinky Hijikata
- Jason Kubler
- Aleksandar Vukic
Hewitt hasn’t been able to bring his top stars to Ecuador, but will still expect his side to make light work of the South Americans.
Australia vs Ecuador (schedule)
| Match | Day | Australian player(s) | Ecuadorian player(s) |
| 1 | Saturday, February 7 | Jordan Thompson | Alvaro Guillen Meza |
| 2 | Saturday, February 7 | James Duckworth | Andres Andrade |
| 3 | Sunday, February 8 | Rinky Hijikata/Jason Kubler | Gonzalo Escobar/Diego Hidalgo |
| 4 | Sunday, February 8 | James Duckworth | Alvaro Guillen Meza |
| 5 | Sunday, February 8 | Jordan Thomspon | Andres Andrade |
Alvaro Guillen Meza, Ecuador’s best player, is the world number 201, and boasts a 3-3 Davis Cup record.
It’s unlikely the 23-year-old will lead his team to an upset victory against the Aussies, but you just never know!
Australia will begin their Davis Cup qualifier against Ecuador on Saturday, February 7.
Who will Australia play if they beat Ecuador?
The winner of Australia/Ecuador will take on Great Britain for a place in the Davis Cup Finals later this year.
Great Britain eased past Norway 4-0 in their first-round qualifier.
| Match | Day | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | Thursday, February 5 | Jack Draper (Great Britain) | Viktor Durasovic (Norway) | Great Britain (1-0) Norway |
| 2 | Thursday, February 5 | Cameron Norrie (Great Britain) | Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (Norway) | Great Britain (2-0) Norway |
| 3 | Friday, February 6 | Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool (Great Britain) | Viktor Durasovic/Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (Norway) | Great Britain (3-0) Norway |
| 4 | Friday, February 6 | Jacob Fearnley (Great Britain) | Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (Norway) | Great Britain (4-0) Norway |
| 5 (Not played) | – | – | – | – |
De Minaur would likely return to the team for a potential Great Britain tie and could face former world number four, Jack Draper.
The British star won his first match since the 2025 US Open at the Davis Cup this week. Draper defeated Viktor Durasovic, 6-2, 6-2.
Alex de Minaur and Jack Draper’s head-to-head record
- 2024 Paris Masters R16 – Alex de Minaur defeated Jack Draper, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
- 2024 US Open QF – Jack Draper defeated Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
- 2024 Mexican Open SF – Alex de Minaur defeated Jack Draper, 6-3, 2-6, 4-0 (RET)
- 2023 Japan Open R32 – Alex de Minaur defeated Jack Draper, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6
- 2022 Wimbledon R64 – Alex de Minaur defeated Jack Draper, 5-7, 7-6, 6-2, 6-3
De Minaur shouldn’t be afraid of the Brit, though, having beaten him four times previously.
What does Jack Draper need to change about his career to keep fit?
Only time will tell if De Minaur and Draper will meet at the Davis Cup, but it will certainly be something to look out for.
Lleyton Hewitt starred the last time Australia played Ecuador
Australia have played Ecuador once before at the Davis Cup, in 2001.
Hewitt won both his singles matches as Australia defeated Ecuador 4-1, securing their spot in the quarterfinals.
Australia vs Ecuador (2001 Davis Cup 1R)
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 1 | Pat Rafter (Australia) | Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) | Australia (1-0) Ecuador |
| 2 | Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) | Giovanni Lapentti (Ecuador) | Australia (2-0) Ecuador |
| 3 | Giovanni Lapentti/Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) | Wayne Arthurs/Todd Woodbridge (Australia) | Australia (2-1) Ecuador |
| 4 | Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) | Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador) | Australia (3-1) Ecuador |
| 5 | Pat Rafter (Australia) | Giovanni Lapentti (Ecuador) | Australia (4-1) Ecuador |
Australia then beat Brazil in the quarterfinals and Sweden in the semifinals to reach the Davis Cup Championship Match.
Hewitt hopes a win over Ecuador in 2026 will propel Australia to similar success.
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