Canberra: Switzerland beat Australia 3-2 in the Davis Cup World Group play-off after Stanislas Wawrinka dispatched former World No.1 Lleyton Hewitt in five sets at the Royal Sydney Club on Monday.
The decisive men's singles match was suspended just before 6 p.m. local time Sunday night due to fading light. It was when the former world number one Hewitt faced a precarious position, down 3-5 in the fifth set.
On Monday morning, Wawrinka took three minutes to wrap up the rubber 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (9/7), 6-4, 6-3, breaking Hewitt in the first game on resumption to give the Swiss a 3-2 victory in the tie, and entry to the elite 16-team World Group in 2012.
Hewitt came to the court with a heavily strapped right knee. Wawrinka also had an injection to play because of a foot problem.
Australia will spend a fifth year out of the top competition, forced to fight it out in zonal qualifiers in the Asia/Oceania region for the chance to re-enter the Davis Cup main group in 2013. It will find out who it plays in regional qualifying for 2012 at a draw in Bangkok on Wednesday.
On day one of the tie, Australian Bernard Tomic beat Wawrinka 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. Swiss tennis star Roger Federer then beat Hewitt and levelled the tie.
On Saturday, Hewitt and Chris Guccione claimed a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) victory over Federer and Wawrinka in the doubles match to push the home side to a 2-1 lead.
Federer defeated Tomic in the first of the reverse singles Sunday to leave the tie at 2-2.
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