A Crazy Scenario and an Epic Super Tie-Break: United States Nearly Exited Before Prevailing Over Greece. A Gutsy Victory That Sends Them to United Cup Semifinals.
© COLIN MURTY / AFP
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The first quarterfinal delivered its verdict in Perth. The United States, defending champions, faced Greece and hoped to reach the final four for the third time in four editions.
Early in the day, Coco Gauff faced Maria Sakkari. This was the 11th meeting between the two women on the WTA tour. The score was tied at 5 wins each before this match.
Gauff, who had been surprised by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the group stage, wanted to redeem herself against a Sakkari in top form, having taken down Osaka and Raducanu since the start of the competition.
But the American found her rhythm and won in two sets (6-3, 6-2 in 1h25). Taylor Fritz could thus take advantage to send his country to the semifinals with a win against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
USA Prevail in Decisive Mixed Doubles and Eliminate Greece
But Fritz still doesn’t seem at 100% physically. Affected by a knee issue, the world No. 9 couldn’t perform at his best level during his loss to Sebastian Baez.
He had responded by dominating Jaume Munar in a nail-biter in his previous match. But against Tsitsipas, the American couldn’t follow up. The Greek dominated his opponent of the day for the fourth time in six meetings (6-4, 7-5 in 1h21), securing his first win against a top 20 player since the 2024 Olympics.
It was therefore after the decisive mixed doubles that the two countries were separated. In a thrilling finish, the pair Coco Gauff/Christian Harrison overcame the one composed of Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas (4-6, 6-4, 10-8 in 1h29).
The Americans had a big scare in the super tie-break of the third set, as they led 6 points to 1 and 9 points to 6, before winning 10 points to 8. The USA are still in contention to defend their title and will face Australia or Poland in the semifinals.
Dernière modification le 07/01/2026 à 07h54