United Cup: Enjoying The Moments With An Eye Toward The Australian Open

Alex de Minaur and Olivia Gadecki
Alex de Minaur and Olivia Gadecki (photo: Tennis Australia/Ben Symons)

SYDNEY/WASHINGTON, January 5, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

January is all about embracing the first month of the new tennis season and enjoying the moments in the run-up to the first Grand Slam of the new year, the Australian Open.

The ATP/WTA United Cup mixed-teams competition that wrapped up in Sydney Sunday evening, with the United States defeating Poland 2-0 in the final, gave players a valuable opportunity to get ready for next week’s first major of the 2025 season in Melbourne.

Among them, Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz of the United States and Poland’s Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz each played five singles matches since Dec. 27 and each saw action in mixed doubles, too.

By the time she arrives in Melbourne, World No. 2 Swiatek already will have played matches against two Top-10 foes on back-to-back days: World No. 6 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who she beat 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the semifinals, and World No. 3 Gauff, whom she lost to in the final, 6-4, 6-4.

“For sure, it’s giving me a lot of confidence,” Swiatek said Saturday, after defeating Rybakina. “Playing these matches now and being able to push through some tough moments and playing with pressure on my shoulders and still being able to play well, it gives me a lot.”

After losing to Gauff, Swiatek said: “I played some heavy hitters … and also some girls that played tough. I was able to play against both really great tennis. Coco played amazing, you know, and she’s for sure improving. But overall, I’m really happy with the week. I feel like things I worked on really improved.”

Gauff already defeated a pair of Top-30 players: No. 19 Donna Vekic of Croatia, 6-4, 6-2, and No. 22 Karolina Muchova of Czechia, 6-1, 6-4, before facing Swiatek Sunday evening. The American No. 1 also defeated Swiatek 6-3, 6-4 in group play en route to winning the WTA Finals title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in early November.

“Obviously, Iga is a tough opponent. … I think when I’m playing confident tennis, that’s my best tennis,” Gauff said after defeating Muchova Saturday evening. “It makes it hard for her or anybody to really do anything. So, tomorrow, I’m just going to go out there and be confident.”

World No. 4 Fritz and World No. 16 Hurkacz share similar sentiments as their United Cup teammates.

“I’m feeling really confident in my game,” Fritz said after winning by retirement over No. 25 Tomas Machac of Czechia. He defeated No. 90 Borna Coric of Croatia, 6-3, 6-2, and No. 45 Zhang Zhizhen of China, 6-4, 6-4, before pulling off a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (4) win over Hurkacz Sunday evening in the United Cup final. His only setback was losing his opener to No. 29 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

“It’s normal to have a bit of a break from playing matches and kind of coming into the new season and still trying to improve each match and figure out some things. So, probably, [I] would have felt better if I had served out my first match, confidence wise.”

“Definitely happy to play matches and to play even more,” Hurkacz explained, after defeating No. 78 Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-2, in the semifinal round Saturday afternoon. “Especially that I haven’t been playing the last couple of months, haven’t been playing much. So, I need matches and I need tough ones.”

Hurkacz began the season with a pair of back-to-back tough losses, first to Machac, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, then to World No. 6 Casper Ruud of Norway, 7-5, 6-3. He rebounded with a 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory over No. 125 Billy Harris of Great Britain in the quarterfinals round on Thursday.

Among others who have weighed in about the benefits of playing in the United Cup, both of Italy’s top players, World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini and No. 32 Flavio Cobolli, cited positive experiences playing multiples matches this past week in Sydney. Both went 2-1 in singles.

“I think both of us, we play, like three matches here,” Paolini said after Italy lost its quarterfinal tie to Czechia 2-1 Friday evening. “It’s great to have already three matches in Australia. You know, today for both of us was tough, but I think it’s a great preparation for the Australian Open. Yeah, hopefully it’s going good there.”

Cobolli added: “Yeah, for me, it’s the perfect way to start the season in the team. We are, all of us, great friends. So, it’s important to have a big group to start the season. Yeah, we have fun on all days, so I like it.”

Paolini said the United Cup provided her with “great” competition. “I think it’s also nice for the spectators to see something different, you know. I think it’s also perfect to have this competition at the beginning of the year because you come here and at least you play two matches plus doubles.”

Meanwhile, Australia’s Olivia Gadecki, ranked 97th, lost both of her group matches, first to No. 100 Nadia Podoroska of Argentina, 6-2, 6-4, and to No. 24 Katie Boulter of Great Britain, 6-2, 6-1. Still, the young Australian said she was grateful for the opportunity to represent her country and to get valuable experience.

“Look, it’s great for my tennis to be exposed to such a high-level match after match,” she said after losing to Boulter. “I’m still quite new to this level. So, to be able to play two matches against some of the top players in the world is incredible.

“I’m going to take it as an opportunity. Yeah, I’m really looking forward to the next couple of weeks.”

Finally, World No. 9 Alex de Minaur of Australia won both of his group matches while playing on Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, his hometown. He defeated No. 39 Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina, 6-1, 6-4 and Harris, 6-2, 6-1. He also teamed up with Gadecki to win a mixed doubles match against Great Britain. Coming off a hip injury, which sidelined him much of the second half of the 2024 season, de Minaur said he’s beginning to feel heathy, again.

“It’s definitely the best I’ve felt since Wimbledon,” de Minaur said after his win over Etcheverry. “Very happy with how the body is moving, how it is feeling. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s feeling in the best shape it has been in a very, very long time.”

After his win over Harris and with an eye toward Melbourne, de Minaur added: “I’ve got a match against Carlos [Alcaraz] on Wednesday (an exhibition), which will be a great little tune-up, and obviously just have the eyesight set on bringing the best version of myself for the Aussie Open.”

 

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