Belgium clinches place in Davis Cup final
On 17 September, the Belgian Davis Cup team beat their Australian counterparts on gravel in the semi-final at Palais 12 in Brussels. Although the Australians had the upper hand after the first two days, the Belgians came back in front of 8,000 fans.
On Friday, the first day of the semi-final, two singles matches were on the programme. Liège-born David Goffin (currently ranked 12th in the ATP rankings) beat John Millman, but Steve Darcis lost his match against the 22-year-old Nick Kyrgios (currently 20th in the ATP rankings). The countries had to settle for a 1-1 tie after match day one.
On Saturday, the doubles pairs took to the court. John Peers and Jordan Thompson beat the duo of Ruben Bemelmans and Arthur De Greef in three sets, giving the Australians the lead at the end of match day two.
On the third and final day, two more singles matches followed, both won by the Belgians. Goffin got the better of Kyrgios in four sets and Darcis managed a win against Thompson in three. So not only did the Belgians level the tie, they pulled out a 3-2 overall victory.
Belgium has reached the Davis Cup final twice in the past, in 1904 and 2015, losing to Great Britain both times. The Belgians will now face the French in the final, who beat Serbia 3-1 in the other semi-final. France has won the Davis Cup title nine times already, with their last win dating back to 2001. This year, the final will be held in France from 24 to 26 November 2017.