The United States has secured its place in the final of the United Cup mixed team tournament after a dramatic victory over the Czech Republic on Saturday. The former champions will now face Poland, who delivered a commanding win against Kazakhstan.
In a thrilling match, Taylor Fritz clinched the decisive point for the USA after his opponent, Tomas Machac, was forced to retire due to cramp. Machac had been serving to level the tie at 1-1 and appeared poised to push the contest into a deciding set. However, the physical toll proved too much, and Fritz emerged victorious with a scoreline of 7-6(4), 5-6 before Machac’s retirement.
“It’s great to be back in the final,” Fritz said. “That was a crazy match—very physical—and it’s not the way that I guess I wanted to win. He said that he had been cramping for a couple of games. I didn’t notice. He was moving pretty well; I guess he was playing through it. It’s really humid in here… tough conditions.”
The American team’s momentum was initially sparked by Coco Gauff, who delivered a strong performance against Karolina Muchova. Gauff won 6-1, 6-4 in a rematch of the Beijing final in October that the American had also won.
“It’s never easy against Karolina,” said world No. 3 Gauff, who recovered from a break deep in the second set to secure the victory in Sydney. “The whole match I was intense and focused, and I think that made the difference today.”
With the United States and Poland set to clash in the final, fans can anticipate a high-stakes encounter as both teams vie for the prestigious United Cup title.
Reference(s):
USA beat Czech Republic to set up final against Poland in United Cup
cgtn.com
