Millman guides Aus

John Millman stunned Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets to help guide Australia to victory over Canada in their ATP Group F tie in Brisbane yesterday.

Millman was called upon to play singles only hours before the opening rubber of the tie when the mercurial Nick Kyrgios withdrew with back soreness, but he had no trouble accounting for the higher-ranked Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2.

The Australians sealed the tie when a tenacious Alex de Minaur came from a set down to beat Canadian number one Denis Shapovalov 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-2 in three hours.

John Peers and Chris Guccione made it a clean sweep for the home side when they beat Auger-Aliassime and Adil Shamasdin with a match tiebreaker 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 10/8.

Millman said he wasn’t perturbed about getting the late call-up and said he relished playing on his home court in hot and humid conditions that favoured him rather than his Canadian opponent.

“I was pretty prepared -- it’s always difficult, a late call-up, but it doesn’t get much easier in a difficult circumstance than when you get to play here in Brisbane, a place where you’re familiar with the court and the surroundings and you know that you’re going to have a vocal crowd in your corner,” Millman said.

“Those humid conditions, what they do is the humidity actually creates heavier conditions.”