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Cristiano Ronaldo embraces Saudi culture while scoring goals and breaking recordsis being praised for a tactical masterclass that helped Australia beat the USA and advance to the semi-finals of the in Malaga. But American captain Bob Bryan is being torched by fans after a massive gamble backfired spectacularly. Hewitt once again showed his genius on Thursday night after two huge selection calls paid off in spades for Australia. Firstly he went with Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening singles rubber against Ben Shelton, despite having the option to use than the World No.77. Alexei Popyrin (World No.24) and Jordan Thompson (26) would appear to be better options on paper, but - who keeps on delivering at Davis Cup level. And he did again on Thursday night, taking down World No.22 Shelton in a stunning 6-1 4-6 7-6 (16-14) upset. Kokkinakis saved four match-points to prevail in an epic tie-breaker, celebrating wildly with Hewitt on the sidelines after the final point. But after Alex de Minaur was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Taylor Fritz in the battle of the No.1s, it all came down to the deicing doubles. And the match was flipped on its head when US captain Bryan made the staggering call to ditch doubles specialists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, who won silver at the Paris Olympics earlier this year and have a world of experience. Bryan instead went with Shelton and Tommy Paul, and it backfired brutally when they lost 6-4 6-4 to Thompson and Matt Ebden. Hewitt once again showed his genius by bringing in Thompson, after Ebden had combined well with Purcell in previous Davis Cup ties. And Thompson repaid Hewitt for his faith as the Aussies sealed a 2-1 victory to advance to the semi-finals for the third time in three years. "Incredible. When we got the break there at 4-4, I could have run over the top of the whole bench," Thompson said afterwards. "I was wearing my heart on my sleeve, you know, bleeding green and gold." Bryan said he switched out Ram and Krajicek in an attempt to stun the Aussies, admitting: "We were hoping to catch the Aussies a little bit by surprise." But Hewitt countered: "It didn't surprise us that much, to be honest ... I'd seen them do drills during the week..." Ebden added: "We were expecting the other pair, but we knew they've got incredible players who can play doubles, so we were ready." American fans were left filthy over the costly mistake, describing it as "embarrassing" and "disrespectful" to Ram and Krajicek. A doubles legend not picking a doubles team 🤦🏻‍♂️ — Raja Vidhun (@rajavidhun) Stupid decision. Whether Ram and Krajicek would’ve won or not, idk but neither Paul or Shelton are “net” players. Too many shots went right by them. I just don’t know how you don’t play the doubles specialist. I mean they just won a silver medal together. — Lauren Smith (@lalauren18) Formal apology to Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek on behalf of an American tennis fan for what Bob Bryan did to you boys today. All y'all do is be one of the best double combos in the world only to be benched for Ben Shelton who couldn't make a single return in the court..... — Political Talk Jerry 🇺🇸 (@jerry_political) Bob Bryan had an absolute stinker today. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, but opting for Shelton over Paul in the singles, and then picking both of them for the doubles instead of the actual doubles experts was utterly baffling, even at the time in my eyes. They’ve been punished — Tolga Akdeniz (@tkakdeniz_) I thought the doubles specialist disrespect on team USA was supposed to end when they brought in 16-time Grand Slam men's doubles champion Bob Bryan. Wasn't that a big deal exactly two years ago with Mardy Fish being let go right after? — Damian Kust (@damiankust) embarrassing doubles choice and result for team USA in the davis cup—bob bryan should be fired 🤡 — Jessica Schiffer (@jessicaschiffer) Kokkinakis has barely played over the last few months outside of a Challenger Tour title he won at the NSW Open. "I don't know if I've been that pumped up in my life. I wanted that for my team," he said. "It could have gone either way, but I kept my nerve." Hewitt said he had plenty of faith in Kokkinakis despite him being the lowest-ranked player on the team. "He played like the winner of the NSW Open Challenger about a month ago," Hewitt laughed. "Obviously, never easy making these decisions but we know if we can get him going out there and playing his highest level, he's dangerous for anybody, I don't care who it is. I had full belief in him. We kind of put him on ice, pretty much until now, and let him off the leash today, and he fully repaid us." EPIC STUFF!!!! Thanasi Kokkinakis beats Ben Shelton 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(16-14) and Australia gets an important 1-0 lead before the Fritz-De Minaur clash. FABULOUS tiebreak, Thanasi saved 4 match points and converted his 7th. He is so so good when healthy. — José Morgado (@josemorgado) A 16-14 tiebreak win in a Davis Cup tie against the USA? All types of insane. Superb from Thanasi Kokkinakis 👏 — Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) Hewitt and the Aussies will now face Italy in the semi-finals on Saturday (Sunday Aussie time), after the Italians beat Argentina 2-1 in the last quarter-final. Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini got the job done in the deciding doubles rubber, beating Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-4 7-5. Francisco Cerundolo had given Argentina a 1-0 lead with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Lorenzo Musetti, before Sinner got Italy back level with a 6-2 6-1 thrashing of Sebastian Baez. It means Australia will get a chance to exact some revenge after they were . But it shapes as a tricky task, especially for de Minaur. The Aussie has an , and the Italian star is in red-hot form. The other semi-final will see Germany do battle with the Netherlands for a place in Sunday's final (Monday Aussie time). Australia have finished runners-up for the last two years and haven't won the prestigious Davis Cup trophy since 2003, despite winning it 28 times throughout its history. The moment progressed to the semi-finals! 🤩 — Davis Cup (@DavisCup)

Broadcom enters the trillion-dollar club on AI strengthFrom Wilson Run to Cowich Park to Troy, residents of South Trelawny have rolled out the welcome mat in appreciation of the newly constructed footbridge over the Troy River. The original bridge, which collapsed in August 2021, left the community without a vital link for nearly three years. Stephen Shaw, Communications Manager at the National Works Agency, explained that the footbridge is part of a larger $240 million project aimed at constructing a new bridge, with completion expected by June 2025. The footbridge has been a source of joy for residents, farmers, students, and teachers alike. “When the bridge collapsed, I lost 30 of my students to Balacava Primary. Now that the footbridge is here, I intend to reach out to the parents to encourage them to send their children back to Troy Primary. They know the positive impact Troy Primary had on their children,” said Kareen Frater, principal of Troy Primary School. Johnathan Campbell, bursar at Troy High School, expressed his happiness about the new development. “I live less than two miles from school. Without a bridge, it took me two hours to get to school. Now, I can drive to the bridge, walk to school, or ask a friend to pick me up. This new bridge saves me time and money,” Campbell said. Baptist Deacon George Bromfield also welcomed the new footbridge. “We have members across from the bridge. Before this new bridge, it would take me two hours to reach Cowich Park to conduct a funeral. Now, I can walk from Troy to Cowich Park, a journey I've been walking since I was a child,” Bromfield shared. Members of both political parties have praised the construction of the footbridge. "This shows that the Government listens to the people. It will benefit all sectors of the community," said Devon McDaniel of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party. “This should have been done a long time ago. It is highly appreciated and will benefit the farmers and students,” added Paul Parmore, caretaker for South Trelawny from the People's National Party. - Leon Jackson Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com .

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