Australia prepares for Davis Cup challenge in Ecuador

Australia will play Ecuador in one of 13 Davis Cup first-round qualifying ties this weekend, with James Duckworth, Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Jordan Thompson and Australian Open 2026 men’s doubles finalist Jason Kubler selected to represent the green and gold.

Thompson, who first represented Australia in 2017, makes his return to the team competition, kicking off proceedings against Ecuador’s No.2 player Alvaro Guillen Meza on Saturday.

World No.86 Duckworth then faces the 257th-ranked Andres Andrade in the second match of the tie.

“I feel like all of us have been improving each day, getting more and more used to the conditions. [I’m] really looking forward to playing tomorrow,” said Duckworth, who is delighted to return to the Australian team for the first time since 2020.

“It’s s a dream come true to play for Australia. You know, I've watched Davis Cup since I was a young boy watching Lleyton [Hewitt] play in a number of finals ... it's a really special place to be, playing for your country and should be good fun.”

Hijikata made his Davis Cup debut at the Qualifiers 2nd Round last year, combining with Thompson to defeat Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in the only match he contested.

He will represent Australia in the men’s doubles on Day 2, alongside Kubler, who highlighted his doubles form as he progressed to a second AO men’s doubles final with Marc Polmans last week.

Australia last faced Ecuador in Davis Cup at a first-round tie in Perth in 2001 and Team Captain Lleyton Hewitt believes his team is well prepared to resume the match-up in Quinto’s high-altitude conditions.

“This is going to be completely different obviously, but I've got a lot of belief in my team and my players that will be taking the court,” Hewitt commented at the official draw on Friday.

“It’s tough conditions to play in, but we've been here for the week now and feel acclimatised. We feel like we've got better every single day with practice, and we'll be ready to go tomorrow."

Davis Cup 1st Round Qualifier – Australia v Ecuador

Dates: Saturday 7 to Sunday 8 February
Venue: Quito Tenis y Golf Club, Quito (clay, outdoors)

Australia
James Duckworth
Aleksandar Vukic
Rinky Hijikata
Jordan Thompson
Jason Kubler
CAPTAIN: Lleyton Hewitt

Ecuador
Alvaro Guillen Meza
Andres Andrade
Gonzalo Escobar
Diego Hidalgo
Emilio Camacho
CAPTAIN: Raul Viver

Order of play

Day 1: Saturday 7 February 2026
11.00am local time (3.00am AEDT Sunday 8 February)
M1  Jordan Thompson (AUS) v Alvaro Guillen Meza (ECU)
M2  James Duckworth (AUS) v Andres Andrade (ECU)

Day 2: Sunday 8 February 2026
10.00am local time (2.00am AEDT Monday 9 February)
M3     Rinky Hijikata / Jason Kubler (AUS) vs Gonzalo Escobari / Diego Hidalgo Goransson (ECU)
M4     James Duckworth (AUS) vs Alvaro Guillen Meza (ECU)
M5     Jordan Thompson (AUS) vs Andres Andrade (ECU)

Tie fast facts

This tie is the second Davis Cup meeting between Australia and Ecuador
Australia won their only previous meeting 25 years ago, on grass in Australia, leading the Davis Cup head-to-head count 1-0 over Ecuador
Australia currently sits at No.4 on the Davis Cup Nations rankings list
In 2025, Australia defeated Sweden 3-1 in the Qualifiers 1st round in February before falling to Belgium 2-3 in the Qualifiers 2nd Round in September
Australia are 28-time Davis Cup champions, having won the title more than any other nation except USA
The 26 nations contesting the Qualifiers 1st Round this weekend are bidding to advance to the Qualifiers 2nd Round in September. The 13 winning nations will join 2025 runners-up Spain in seven home-and-away ties in the Qualifiers 2nd Round. The seven winning nations from the Qualifiers 2nd Round will join world champions Italy at the Davis Cup Final 8 in November
The ties this weekend will be played as best-of-five-matches over two days. On the first day, the home nation’s No.1 player will play the away nation’s No.2 player and vice versa. On the second day, the doubles match will be played first, followed by the home nation’s No.1 player against the away nation’s No.1 player, then home nation’s No.2 player against the away nation’s No.2 player. All live matches are played as best-of-three tiebreak sets.

How to watch and live scores