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The 2024 season got underway Down Under with the United Cup, a mixed team event between nations, providing the main attraction in the Australian cities of Perth and Sydney with Great Britain taking on the hosts in the first of the Group C matches.
He came out at the end of the second set firing. I had to dig deep and play to win, and, in that tie-break, I found good depth on my forehand Cameron Norrie
Each tie consists of a singles men’s and ladies rubber followed by a mixed doubles and this year there are 18 countries competing for a title which is currently held by Spain, who opened their defence of the Cup in Perth by defeating Brazil 2-1.
Earlier Britain had also defeated the hosts, Australia 2-1 with Cameron Norrie coming through a tough opening rubber against Alex de Minaur to eventually silence the partisan crowd with a 6-4 2-6 7-6(2) victory after two-hours and 23-minutes of thrilling tennis.
“I really had to dig deep and play very brave in that third set,” Norrie admitted. “He came out at the end of the second set firing. I had to dig deep and play to win, and, in that tie-break, I found good depth on my forehand. The balls got a little bit older, and I really had to hit the ball.
“It is always tough playing Alex. He is a good friend of mine, and we always have battles. I knew I would have to run a lot today and I did. It was a great atmosphere.”
With that win Norrie snapped a nine-match losing streak against Top 20 opponents to open his account for 2024 on a positive note and ironically, leaving de Minaur still looking for his first win over a Top 20 opponent since August.
Katie Boulter secures the winning point
(Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images)
De Minaur’s girlfriend, Britain’s Katie Boulter, applied the coup the grace when she dispatched Alja Tomlijanovic 6-2 6-4 in just 92-minutes to give Britain an unassailable lead in the best of three match tie.
For Boulter the win was sweet revenge for losing to the Australian in Nottingham back in 2022 and she did it emphatically, striking 14 winners and eight aces whilst also saving all the six break points she faced and converting the thee chances which she was offered.
Boulter then teamed up with Neil Skupski to try and make a clean sweep of the tie but the Brits were beaten 6-3 7-6(5) by S Hunter and Matt Ebden to give the Aussies a consolation point.
Sara Sorribes Tormo and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina get Spin’s defence of the title under way
(Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images)
Turning to Spain’s opening win courtesy of Alejando Davidovic Fokina and Sorribes Tormo who secured the winning point in the mixed doubles after splitting the singles.
With the tie locked at 1-1 the pair rallied past Beatriz Haddad Maia and Marcelo Melo 6-4 7-5 after 97-minutes.
“There were going to be a lot of doubts in the beginning, but when I won the first set it was easier for me to play,” Davidovich Fokina said when reflecting on his matches in the tie. “And to come back and play with Sara, I think we had a very great time on court, and I think we enjoyed it a lot.”
Tormo added: “I really wanted to play the mixed. It was something I was really looking forward since a long time ago. Yeah, I really enjoyed it. I think Alejandro, he also played really, really good. It was a pleasure for me to play with him.”
Earlier Davidovic Fokina had got the ball rolling for the Spaniards when he dismissed Thiago Seyboth Wild in 87-minuts, 6-4 6-0 only for Haddad Maia to battle past Tormo 7-6(1) 6-2 and level the tie.
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