Two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas began his season with a gritty victory on Saturday as third-seeded Greece overcame Spain on the United Cup.
Greece, Argentina, Canada and Switzerland have been winners on Day 2 of the combined staff match.
Regardless of coming off a lackluster season, world No. 11 Tsitsipas stays a big drawcard in males’s tennis and looms as a contender on the Australian Open, having completed runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2023.
Tsitsipas had a second set lapse towards Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta earlier than regrouping to report a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory in two hours and eight minutes at Perth’s RAC Enviornment.
“I fought it by means of. In some conditions, I actually struggled to get again into the match,” stated Tsitsipas, who hit 19 winners and 13 aces for the match. “Pablo was enjoying excellent tennis, so I got here up with some good returns and a little bit little bit of offensive tennis, and that helped me out.”
Tsitsipas wanted to win after Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro simply beat Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-1 in 72 minutes.
Sakkari seemed rusty in her return from a shoulder harm sustained on the US Open, as Bouzas capitalized to bounce again from her straight-set loss to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina on Friday.
Tsitsipas and Sakkari got here from behind within the combined doubles to defeat Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers and Sergio Martos Gornes 4-6, 6-3, 10-6. The outcome means Spain can’t progress past the group phases, having misplaced to Kazakhstan of their opener.
Within the earlier tie in Perth, Canada defeated Croatia 2-1 in Group A after clinching the deciding combined doubles when Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Ivan Dodig and Lucija Ciric Bagaric in straight units.
Fernandez had gotten Canada off to a profitable begin within the ladies’s singles after upsetting the higher-ranked Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-3.
“I’m tremendous pleased with the way in which that I performed, the way in which that I stayed constant within the powerful moments,” stated Fernandez, who was a finalist on the 2021 US Open.
However Borna Coric dramatically leveled the tie for Croatia after shrugging off a gradual begin to report a 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback victory over Auger-Aliassime.
World No. 9 Alex de Minaur was Australia’s solely vivid spot of their 2-1 loss to Argentina at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Enviornment.
After Nadia Podoroska beat Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-4 within the ladies’s singles, De Minaur squared the tie a lot to the delight of the house followers with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 win over Tomas Etcheverry in 76 minutes.
“Simply being again right here in Sydney, I adore it right here,” stated De Minaur, who has by no means made it previous the quarterfinals of a grand slam. “I simply informed myself to again myself and play the kind of tennis I needed to play.”
Nonetheless, Australia’s momentum was squandered after Matthew Ebden and Ellen Perez misplaced the combined doubles in straight units to Etcheverry and Maria Carle.
Earlier, Switzerland prevailed 2-1 over France within the first tie performed in Sydney.
Belinda Bencic gave Switzerland an early lead with a cushty 6-3, 6-1 win over Chloe Paquet earlier than 14th-ranked Ugo Humbert leveled the tie for France with a 6-3, 7-5 outcome over Dominic Stricker.
Bencic and Sticker mixed within the decisive combined doubles to fend off Elizane Lechemia and Edouard Roger-Vasseli 6-1, 7-6 (4).
Former world No. 4 Bencic’s comeback gained steam after giving start to her first youngster in April. Having returned to aggressive tennis in October, Bencic loved her first win at a tour-level occasion for the reason that 2023 US Open.
“I’m actually excited to be again,” stated Bencic, the Tokyo Olympic ladies’s singles gold medalist. “I had a little bit little bit of nerves initially and a little bit little bit of rust, so I’m completely satisfied I sort of accepted that and tried to struggle by means of it.”
Throughout an action-packed Day 3 on Sunday, top-seeded United States will begin its match towards Canada, whereas males’s world No. 2 Alexander Zverev will lead Germany towards Brazil.
