Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, 2 May 2014 | tennis.com.au

Australia has narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Junior Davis Cup finals in Mexico, going down 2-1 to Hong Kong on Thursday in the Asia/Oceania qualifying play-offs in Kuching, Malaysia.

The tie opened with Hong Kong’s Hong Kit Wong beating Australia’s Max Purcell 4-6 7-5 6-0 before Purcell’s teammate Oliver Anderson evened the ledger with a comprehensive 6-1 6-2 victory over Ching Lam.

In the decisive doubles rubber, the Hong Kong pairing of Wong and Anthony Jackie Tang proved too strong for Anderson and Alex De Minaur, winning 6-2 6-1 in one hour.

The Aussies, seeded third, needed to win the match to finish as one of the top four nations in Asia/Oceania qualifying, with those four nations progressing to September’s finals in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Earlier in the competition, Australia had won all three of its round robin matches 3-0 to finish atop Group D, thus advancing to the play-off stage.

Australia’s Junior Fed Cup team will attempt to qualify for Septembers finals when they arrive in Kuching next week.