![\"Jessica](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Pegula-SF-Saeed-Khan-AFP-Getty.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhile the US Open created quite a buzz by highlighting mixed doubles heading into its late-summer fortnight, men and women have joined forces to produce Down Under drama for three years now.<\/p>\n
The fourth United Cup, featuring co-ed teams from 18 nations and nine Top 10 players from the WTA and ATP Tours, unfolds Jan. 2-11 in Perth and Sydney, Australia.<\/p>\n
This paragraph alone should be enough to create some serious buy-in:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The United States — led by No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 6 Taylor Fritz — is the No. 1 seed and seeking its third title. Poland, with No. 2 Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz, is the No. 2 seed. Germany\u2019s No. 3 Alexander Zverev and Eva Lys will try for their second crown. Group E will likely offer a must-see Day 3 confrontation between four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.<\/p>\n
How will it all go down? With the notion that the past sometimes informs the future, let\u2019s revisit those first three rousing competitions:<\/p>\n
2023 United Cup: Americans rise to the top<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Saeed Khan\/AFP\/Getty Images\n <\/p>\n
The inaugural edition had a different look and feel from the current format. Teams were gathered in three cities — Brisbane, Perth and Sydney — and each tie consisted of four singles rubbers, plus mixed doubles. The total payout was $15 million.<\/p>\n
Coming in, the United States was the only country with four players ranked among the Top 20 and that advantage asserted itself, early and often. The Americans were a combined 22-2 in five ties; Jessica Pegula went 8-1 and Taylor Fritz 6-1, while Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe were undefeated in 11 combined matches.<\/p>\n
The United States rolled through the Czech Republic, Germany and Great Britain, then took out Poland 5-0 in the Sydney semifinals. Italy was a 4-0 victim in the championship final as Pegula defeated Martina Trevisan and Keys took down Lucia Bronzetti, both in straight sets. Fritz and Tiafoe were winners over Matteo Berrettini and Lorenzo Musetti.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a blast these two weeks,\u201d said U.S. captain David Witt, then Pegula’s personal coach. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m at home with my eight kids. This is like the Brady Bunch on something. It\u2019s crazy. It was fun. What a family.\u201d<\/p>\n
That crazy family chemistry — in a word, synergy — is what carried them. There were no fewer than three team visits to the escape room venue and a fierce post-championship round of beer pong.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a really great eternity in Sydney,\u201d Pegula said. \u201cWe have been bonding a lot, I feel like getting to know each other a lot. It was a good team from the start.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2024 United Cup: Germany unmatched<\/p>\n
![\"Germany](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Angelique_Kerber_Laura_Siegemund_-_2024_United_Cup_-_Day_9-DSC_7371.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Jimmie48\/WTA\n <\/p>\n
The defending champions couldn\u2019t manage to escape Group C, when Australia was declared the winner of the three-way tie with the United States and Great Britain based on percentage of sets won (7-6, .540).<\/p>\n
With a streamlined format — playing matches only in Perth and Sydney and best-of-three ties — top-seeded Poland defeated China and France by 3-0 scores to advance to the final. Germany, which finished second in Group D, had a more difficult journey, advancing to the quarterfinals based on percentage of games won, then sliding past Greece and Australia by 2-1 counts.<\/p>\n
Poland seemed to have a clear path to the title when Swiatek defeated Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-0 to run her winning streak to 16 matches, going back to Beijing and Guadalajara the year before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of myself that I could win all my singles,\u201d Swiatek said afterward. \u201c[Kerber] was really picking the right spot to play, and she surprised me sometimes at the beginning of the set with her decision-making and choices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hurkacz was up a set and had two match points on Zverev — which would have clinched it — but in a three-hour thriller at Sydney\u2019s Ken Rosewall Arena, the German came back to win 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6), 6-4.<\/p>\n
In the ultimate match, playing his sixth match in three days, Zverev partnered with always-underrated Laura Siegemund to win the mixed doubles 6-4, 5-7, 10-4 in a tense super-tiebreak against Swiatek and Hurkacz — at 12:45 a.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a pleasure, and it\u2019s been absolutely so much fun for everybody to be part of this team, especially for me,\u201d Zverev said at the trophy ceremony, addressing his teammates. \u201cI really couldn\u2019t be happier sharing this trophy with anybody than you guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
2025 United Cup: Gauff leads U.S. to second title<\/p>\n
![\"United](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Team_United_States_-_United_Cup_2025_-_Day_9-DS8_2693.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Jimmie48\/WTA\n <\/p>\n
The United States dropped a rubber in its opening tie against Canada — and proceeded to run the table the rest of the way. After knocking off Canada 2-1 in the opener, the Americans threw up 3-0 scores on Croatia, China and, in the semifinals, the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n
Poland, meanwhile, handled Norway and the Czech Republic before dropping 3-0 counts versus Great Britain and Kazakhstan to advance to a highly anticipated final featuring the top two-seeded teams.<\/p>\n
World No. 3 Coco Gauff came into her 2024 WTA Finals match against No. 2 Swiatek with a daunting 1-11 head-to-head record but won in straight sets on her way to the year-end title. It happened again at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, with Gauff posting a 6-4, 6-4 victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have the belief that I\u2019m one of the best players in the world,\u201d Gauff said. \u201cWhen I play good tennis I\u2019m hard to beat,” Gauff said. \u201cToday I think I played some great tennis. I\u2019m glad I was able to get a point for Team USA. It was tough today; I\u2019m not going to lie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fritz had a more difficult time, but the result was the same — a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (4) win over Hurkacz in a fraught, frantic match that saw 30 aces but only three breaks of serve. And so, the United States squad was a winner for the second time in three years, and Poland was runner-up for the second straight year.<\/p>\n
Gauff, who won all 10 of the singles sets she played — against Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekic, Zhang Shuai, Karolina Muchova and Swiatek — was voted MVP.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s almost more fun to win the team events because you have people to celebrate with afterwards,\u201d Fritz said. \u201cCoco made it easy for me — it definitely helped my job a lot and it\u2019s great to get it a second time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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