Australia's Davis Cup play-off tie with Switzerland will go into a dramatic fourth day with Lleyton Hewitt a game away from a five-set defeat to Stanislas Wawrinka.
After world number three Roger Federer levelled the tie at 2-2 with a four-set win over Bernard Tomic earlier in the day, Hewitt and Wawrinka went toe to toe in a winner takes all battle that ended prematurely due to fading light.
Warinka leds the thrilling rubber 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 5-3 after nearly four hours, securing a precious break early in the deciding set and holding his serve in the final game of the day as tensions rose at Royal Sydney.
Australian captain Pat Rafter was clearly frustrated when play was extended to 5.50pm AEST, accusing match referee Javier Moreno of "making shit up" as he ordered the players to continue in the Sydney dusk.
The two teams will return at 11am Monday morning where Hewitt will serve to stay in the match that decides which of the countries is promoted to the Davis Cup's elite World Group.
Things looked optimistic for Australia when Hewitt clinched the opening set only for Wawrinka to hit back immediately in the second.
The fired-up Hewitt saved three sets points when down 3-6 in the third set tiebreaker and then another at 6-7 before closing it out for a two-sets-to-one advantage.
The veteran Australian was playing some amazing tennis, particularly at the net where the former world number one produced a handful of deft volleys which left Wawrinka floundering and the astonished crowd on their feet.
But to his credit, Wawrinka, who was defeated by Tomic in the opening rubber of the tie and looked well below his best in the doubles defeat alongside Federer on Saturday, picked up his game.
Wawrinka found his range on serve and sent the rubber to a fifth and deciding set after taking the fourth 6-4.
His serve continued to dominate Hewitt in the fading light and Rafter made his voice heard for the second time in the day after demanding a faulty let cord sensor to be removed during Tomic's match.
Hewitt faced a nervy seventh game on serve, which if he lost would have provided Wawrinka the opportunity to serve for the match in the last game of the day's play.
The plucky Australia held his ground but Wawrinka did likewise and will go into Monday as the favourite still a break up.
Tags: tennis, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia, switzerland First posted September 18, 2011 18:03:41
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