The Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga has come packing a wallop, and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before. Thanasi Kokkinakis edged Team USA’s Ben Shelton in a classic three-set thriller to lead the record 32-time Davis Cup winners 1-0 in the quarterfinals. While they have moved past the first hurdle, some of us only learning about what went down during their showdown. The match was epic. So good, that Aussie Alex de Minaur‘s girlfriend and British WTA star Katie Boulte couldn’t believe what she saw.

Kokkinakis broke Shelton’s challenge in a gripping tie-break in the third set, saving four match points while giving away six. He concluded the contest 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (16-14). Although Shelton lost, he scripted a laudable feat while doing so. According to the ITF, the duo’s 16-14 tiebreak became the longest in the annual event’s history since the German pair Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Miles downed Argentine Maximo Gonzalez and Leonardo Mayer with an astounding 20-18 tiebreaker scoreline in the Davis Cup’s 2019 edition.

Poised to bring home glory fueled an impressive show of athleticism from Kokkinakis and Shelton, baffling Boulte as she spectated the young duo dismantling their defenses in Malaga. Taking to her official Instagram handle, the Briton showcased the televised match and notably asked her fans, “What am I watching?”. Her amazement is justified. Shelton and Kokkinakis’s match is now the joint sixth-longest tiebreaker in the annual group event’s history.

Following Shelton’s defeat, compatriot world no. 4 Taylor Fritz will have to do some damage control and in doing so, he now locks horns with Boulte’s boyfriend de Minaur. Things will likely get trickier for the Briton; she might enjoy the thriller but not the results if the contest doesn’t go in her lover’s favor.

Fresh Update: Taylor Fritz kept the USA’s Davis Cup semi-final hopes alive by defeating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4, after Ben Shelton’s earlier loss to Thanasi Kokkinakis. His victory leveled the quarter-final tie against Australia at 1-1.

As for Kokinakkis, the Aussie explained to the crowd what motivated him to succeed despite facing such resistance.

Alex de Minaur’s teammate Thanasi Kokinakkis ‘wanted to help his team’

Team Australia has racked up the stakes this season, collecting players with the most impressive talents. Team captain Lleyton Hewitt heads Alex De Minaur, Thanasi Kokinakkis, John Peers, and Alexi Popyrin. After registering victory in the opening singles rubber against Ben Shelton, 28-year-old Kokinakkis addressed the crowd during an on-court interview.

He said, “I don’t know if I’ve been that pumped up in my life, I wanted that one bad, I wanted to help my team. (The tie-break) was tough, we were both serving well, I think I only got tight on one shot… he was serving incredibly, I can’t even speak, I’m happy. It’s a massive win for me… Lleyton (Hewitt, Australia’s captain) showed faith in me, anyone could have played but I just wanted to give it my all.”

Later today, Jannik Sinner‘s Italy, the defending champions, will square off against Argentine talents in the last quarterfinal clash. The Netherlands is slated to face Germany in the last four on Friday, following a crushing victory over Rafael Nadal‘s Spain.