Hewitt gives Australia 3-1 Davis Cup lead

Lleyton Hewitt secured a 3-1 win for Australia on Sunday in the Asia-Oceania second-round tie in Beijing, sending his squad to the Davis Cup tennis World Group playoffs. The 30-year-old came off the bench, replacing Marinko Matosevic, to defeat Zhang Ze 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2). Hewitt's 18-year-old Davis Cup teammate Bernard Tomic levelled the tie at 1-1 on Friday, beating Zhang 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. But Hewitt, who is ranked 173 in the world and fourth in Australia, showed he still has fight in him, extending his record as Australia's most successful player to 46 total wins and 37 singles wins in the Cup. A victory alongside Chris Guccione on Saturday lifted his doubles record to 9-3. China has never advanced to the elite World Group, missing by just one match in 1987 and again in 1990. The Asian nation has had amazing success in women's tennis, with Li Na making history at the French Open this year by becoming the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam. While China's male players have yet to enjoy similar success, the Davis Cup squad could represent the future of men's tennis in the country, with players aged just 19 to 24.