Team Australia has scored its first win of the ATP Cup this year, defeating Team Greece in a titanic battle at Rod Laver Arena this evening.
The tie went right to the down to the wire, decided in a match tiebreak in the doubles.
John Peers and Luke Saville combined to seal victory for Team Australia, defeating Greek duo Stefanos Tsitsipas and Michail Pervolarakis 6-3 4-6 [10-5].
"Every time you play for the green and gold, it's always good fun," Peers said after claiming the high-pressure win.
Earlier in the evening, John Millman got Team Australia off to a perfect start with a 6-2 6-3 win against world No.462 Pervolarakis.
"I was expecting a really tough match, and it wasn't smooth sailing," Millman said. "Last year I played my opponent in the same competition, and he really took it to me. So I thought I was probably a little bit more prepared this time around. (I'm) just happy to get a bit of court time because it's so important after probably a bit of a disrupted start to the year."
Stefanos Tsitsipas then levelled for Team Greece, winning a high-quality 6-3 7-5 battle against Alex de Minaur.
Although disappointed with the result, De Minaur was pleased with his level against the world No.6.
"It was a close match," said the world No.23-ranked Australian, who earned two set points in a tight second set. "I had my opportunities. It was there to be taken. (But) I didn't feel like I played those points well."
The winners of each group progress to the ATP Cup semifinals on Friday. Team Spain plays Team Greece in the last round-robin match of Group B on Thursday evening, which will determine the final group placings.
Tickets for this week's ATP Cup, played at Melbourne Park, are available through Ticketmaster.