Alex de Minaur delivered a commanding performance at the United Cup, sweeping past Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1, 6-4 to win his first match of the season. However, his victory was not enough to prevent Argentina from upsetting host Australia 2-1 in Group F action on Saturday.
Playing at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, de Minaur, ranked World No. 9, leveled the tie after teammate Olivia Gadecki fell to Nadia Podoroska 6-2, 6-4 in the opening women’s singles match.
In the decisive mixed doubles match, Etcheverry returned to the court alongside Maria Carle to face Australia’s Matt Ebden and Ellen Perez. The Argentine pair secured the overall victory for their team with a straight-sets win, 6-2, 6-4.
In Group D, former Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic marked her return to Tour-level competition with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win over Chloe Paquet, helping Switzerland edge France 2-1. The 27-year-old, currently ranked 487th, won 10 of the last 11 games to clinch her match.
Switzerland’s Dominic Stricker fell 6-3, 7-5 to Ugo Humbert in the men’s singles, pushing the tie to a mixed doubles decider. Bencic partnered with Stricker to defeat Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Elixane Lechemia 6-1, 7-6(4), securing the overall win for Switzerland.
In Group A action in Perth, Canada bounced back from Felix Auger-Aliassime’s singles loss to prevail 2-1 over Croatia. Leylah Fernandez gave Canada an early lead by defeating Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-3. However, Auger-Aliassime fell to Borna Coric 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, setting up a decisive mixed doubles match.
Auger-Aliassime and Fernandez teamed up in the mixed doubles to overcome Lucija Ciric Bagaric and Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-4, sealing the victory for Canada.
These early results set the stage for an exciting tournament as nations compete in the United Cup, showcasing both established stars and rising talents in the international tennis scene.
Reference(s):
De Minaur wins but host Australia falls to Argentina at United Cup
cgtn.com
