United Cup
\n Mensik downs Ruud in Top 20 showdown, seals Czechia’s win vs. Norway<\/p>\n
Krejcikova defeats Helgo<\/p>\n
January 05, 2026<\/p>\n
Brett Hemmings\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Jakub Mensik improves to 2-0 against Casper Ruud in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
\n By ATP\/WTA Staff<\/p>\n
Jakub Mensik<\/a> clinched Czechia\u2019s victory against Norway at the United Cup<\/a> on Monday, when he downed fellow Top 20 star Casper Ruud<\/a> 7-5, 7-6(6) in Sydney.<\/p>\n Making his United Cup<\/a> debut and playing his first match of the season, Mensik\u2019s win followed Barbora Krejcikova\u2019s victory against Malene Helgo to give Czechia a 2-0 win in the Group D tie, eliminating Norway, which fell to 0-2 this week.<\/p>\n Mensik held his nerve late in both sets, earning a crucial break at 5-5 in the opener before serving for a one-set advantage. Mensik later rebounded from failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set. He trailed 3\/5 in the second-set tie-break, yet won five of the next six points to survive. The winner of last year\u2019s ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami, Mensik crushed a forehand pass cross-court when facing a set point at 5\/6 in the second-set tie-break.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst match of the season, it\u2019s never easy,\u201d Mensik said during his on-court interview. \u201cIt\u2019s been a great fight. I\u2019m grateful for the win. I managed in both sets to find the power at the end, that was the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n At 20 years and four months, Mensik is the second-youngest man to record a singles win in United Cup<\/a> history, behind an 18-year-old Stefanos Sakellaridis<\/a> in 2023. The World No. 18 in the PIF ATP Rankings improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Ruud, whom Mensik beat at last year\u2019s Australian Open<\/a> in the second round.<\/p>\n Mensik crushed 16 aces and won 78 per cent of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, compared to Ruud\u2019s 56 per cent.<\/p>\n Earlier, two-time major singles champion Krejcikova scored a winning United Cup<\/a> debut in a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Norway’s Helgo.<\/p>\n The former World No. 2 comes into the 2026 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz season ranked No. 65 in the PIF WTA Rankings after another bout with injury to close 2025. She reached the quarter-finals of the US Open<\/a> in September, a watershed moment in her season that only began in May after dealing with a recurring back injury.<\/p>\n Putting Team Czechia on the scoreboard \ud83d\udccb pic.twitter.com\/EihT4A8bFV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 United Cup<\/a> (@UnitedCupTennis) January 5, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Krejcikova then unfortunately dealt with physical problems again, suffering a knee injury against McCartney Kessler in the third round of the China Open<\/a>. She retired from that match, later revealing her injury was worse than previously thought. Krejcikova also retired from her first match at the WTA 125 in Limoges in December. <\/p>\n Krejcikova\u2019s season-opening match against World No. 532 Helgo proved to be an ideal return.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t play for a long period, and the injury that I had was really tough and very unfortunate,” Krejcikova said. “I’m really happy that I’m here, that I can play, that I can enjoy it, that I can compete, and I’m really happy that I can finally finish a match.”<\/p>\n Helgo, 26, has punched above her weight in the United Cup<\/a> in the past. She pushed both Caroline Garcia and Donna Vekic to three sets in 2024 and took advantage of a slow start by Krejcikova to open up an early 3-1 lead. <\/p>\n But then, Krejcikova, who played the one-hour, 38-minute match with supportive wrapping on her left knee, erased a break point opportunity in a five-deuce fifth game and righted the ship by winning eight of the next nine games.<\/p>\n \u201cThe knee is better. It took some time, but it’s improving every day and I’m very happy with that,” Krejcikova said.<\/p>\n Australia and Czechia are both 1-0 in Group D action. Mixed doubles between Czechia and Norway is up next at Ken Rosewall<\/a> Arena.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n