Thiem loses but Novak propels Austria to Davis Cup win

Dominic Thiem had his nine-match singles winning streak in Davis Cup play snapped but Austria won the final match to pull out a 3-2 win over Finland on Saturday in a Group 1 tie at Espoo, Finland.

Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori, ranked 163th in the world, kept his team alive with a stunning 6-3, 6-2 victory over Thiem.

"I need some time to get back to my match rhythm," World No. 5 Thiem said, referring to a virus he was hit with in August.

Thiem's loss left it up to Dennis Novak, who rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over Finland's Harri Heliovaara for the decisive point. Novak had 13 aces to help Austria advance to February's Davis Cup qualifiers.

--Field Level Media