Jubilation as inaugural United Cup champs crowned

1 year ago 73

The United States claimed the inaugural United Cup connected Sunday successful convincing manner with an overpowering show implicit Italy successful the last of the mixed-teams event.

No.9-ranked Taylor Fritz gave the US an unassailable 3-0 pb successful the best-of-five match-up by edging erstwhile Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7).

The Indian Wells Masters champion failed to person 9 interruption points but faced nary connected his ain service and proved the steadier subordinate successful the 2 tiebreakers.

He was mobbed by his teammates astatine Sydney's Ken Rosewall Arena aft clinching the rubric for the Americans.

“We came successful with truly precocious hopes earlier the commencement of the lawsuit and I was truly blessed to beryllium successful the presumption to clinch the lucifer and conscionable the emotions erstwhile you triumph and everyone comes moving astatine you, it is amazing,” Fritz said.

“We person gotten a batch of squad bonding this week and it was a batch of fun.”

Jessica Pegula enactment the US connected the way to triumph by beating Martina Trevisan 6-4, 6-2, continuing her beardown form, which included a triumph implicit top-ranked Iga Swiatek connected Friday.

Frances Tiafoe, a 2022 US Open semi-finalist, extended the pb erstwhile Lorenzo Musetti withdrew with a enarthrosis wounded aft losing the archetypal acceptable of their lucifer 6-2.

The singles lucifer betwixt Madison Keys and Lucia Bronzetti was rendered a dormant rubber successful presumption of the title, though ranking points and prizemoney were connected offer.

The US was considered favourite for the 18-nation tourney based connected the spot of a squad wherever each 4 singles players were ranked wrong the world’s apical 20.

Heading into the final, the US had mislaid conscionable 2 of the 20 rubbers it played successful ties against the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain and Poland.

Dual-Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova defeated Pegula successful the opening necktie of the event, portion 2022 Wimbledon semi-finalist Cameron Norrie bushed Fritz successful 3 sets connected January 4.

Similarly to Fritz’s 7-6, 7-6 triumph implicit Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz connected Saturday, the clash betwixt Fritz and Berrettini was dominated by serving.

But Berrettini, who fell successful 3 sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas successful a semi-final against Greece connected Saturday, mislaid his composure aboriginal successful the archetypal tiebreaker and precocious successful the 2nd to springiness Fritz the victory.

“I had a batch of chances successful determination and helium kept playing truthful good connected those chances, truthful helium made it truly pugnacious for me,” Fritz said.

Pegula claimed the archetypal 3 games against Trevisan and past withstood a situation from the No.27-ranked subordinate precocious successful the archetypal acceptable connected the mode to a coagulated victory.

No.3-ranked Pegula said that arsenic her team’s top-ranked subordinate of either sex, she wanted to pb by example.

“I wanted to triumph due to the fact that I americium the No.1 American connected the team. I wanted to clasp that. I did not privation to shy distant from that,” she said.

Tiafoe, ranked No.19, was successful a ascendant presumption against Musetti erstwhile the Italian ended the lucifer connected the opening constituent of the 2nd set.

The 20-year-old had earlier received aesculapian attraction aft dropping service to way 5-2 successful the opening set.

US manager David Witt, who is besides Pegula’s idiosyncratic coach, praised his players for their teamwork.

“It has been an grant to beryllium a manager of them and bask the clip we person had together. It has been awesome,” helium said.

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