Alex de Minaur delivered a commanding performance at the United Cup, overpowering Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1, 6-4 to claim his first win of the season. However, his victory was insufficient to prevent Argentina from securing a 2-1 upset over host Australia in Group F on Saturday.
Earlier, Olivia Gadecki fell to Nadia Podoroska 6-2, 6-4 in the opening women’s singles match at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena, putting Australia on the back foot. The mixed doubles decider saw Etcheverry return to the court alongside Maria Carle to defeat Australia’s Matt Ebden and Ellen Perez 6-2, 6-4, sealing the tie for Argentina.
In Group D action, Switzerland edged out France 2-1, with former Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic playing a pivotal role. Bencic, a 27-year-old former World No. 4 now ranked 487th, secured a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory over Chloe Paquet, winning 10 of the last 11 games. Despite Dominic Stricker’s 6-3, 7-5 loss to Ugo Humbert in the men’s singles, Bencic teamed up with Stricker in the mixed doubles to overcome Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Elixane Lechemia 6-1, 7-6(4), clinching the overall win for Switzerland.
In Group A, Canada rebounded from an initial setback to prevail 2-1 over Croatia in Perth. Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist, set the tone by defeating Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-3. However, Felix Auger-Aliassime stumbled against Borna Coric, falling 0-6, 6-4, 6-4. The North American duo of Auger-Aliassime and Fernandez secured the victory in the mixed doubles, defeating Lucija Ciric Bagaric and Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-4.
Reference(s):
De Minaur wins but host Australia falls to Argentina at United Cup
cgtn.com
