On the first day of the United Cup tennis tournament, Great Britain defeated hosts Australia thanks to performances from Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie, while Spain defeated Brazil 2-1 in a decisive mixed double.
The tournament, which involves mixed teams from 18 countries, is being held in Perth and Sydney as a prelude to the Australian Open, with mixed doubles matches played before men’s and women’s singles matches. .
Boulter defeated Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 6-4 in the Group C opener in Perth, giving Great Britain a decisive 2-0 lead. Norrie had earlier silenced a packed home crowd with a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(2) win over Alex de Minaur.
“I had to really dig deep and play very brave in that third set,” Nolley said. “Playing Alex is always tough. He’s a good friend of mine and we always fight. I knew I had to run a lot today, so I did that. It was a great atmosphere.” Matthew Ebden and Storm Hunter handed Australia a disappointing victory in the mixed doubles with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over Bolter and Neil Skupski.
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In the opening Group A match in Sydney, Spain’s Alejandro Davidovic Fokina and Sara Sorribes Tormo teamed up in the mixed doubles final, defeating the Brazilian pair of Beatriz Haddad Maia and Marcelo Melo for six. -4, defeated 7-5.
Davidovic Fokina defeated Thiago Sabos Wild 6-4, 6-0, while Haddad Maia defeated Sorribes Tormo 7-6 (1), 6-2.
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek represented Poland in the tournament, while No. 1 men’s ranking and defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic represented Serbia.
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Serbia will face China in Perth on Sunday and the Czech Republic on Tuesday in the group stage, with Djokovic scheduled to play world No. 58 Zhang Zhizhen and No. 31 Jiri Lehecka in singles matches.
Djokovic won three Grand Slam singles titles this year, but only missed Wimbledon, where he lost in five sets to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. He has won 10 of his 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including the Australian Open.
Upon arriving in Perth, he reiterated that he had no intention of retiring.
“To be honest, I hope this isn’t the last time. I mean, I always look forward to coming back to Australia,” Djokovic said. “I’ve always felt like I’ve played my best tennis (here) over the years and I’ve had great support.” Djokovic last visited Perth in 2013 to play in the Hopman Cup.
“It feels great. It’s been a long time since I was last here,” Djokovic said. “I remember it was always a great crowd when we played in Perth. In Australia in general people love tennis and they love the sport, so I wouldn’t expect anything less this time. , I’m sure it’s going to be great for all of us.”