Former champions the United States returned to the mixed team Nations Cup final with a fortuitous victory over the Czech Republic on Saturday, which will allow them to face Poland, who beat Kazakhstan.
Tomas Machac looked set to equalize at 1-1 for the Czechs in the semi-final and served for the match against Taylor Fritz, but an apparent cramp took its toll and he lost three games in a row before throwing in the towel at 7-6, 5-6.
This result allowed the Americans to lead 2-0 and qualify for the final.
“It’s great to be back (in the final). It was a crazy match, very physical and it’s not the way I wanted to win,” declared Fritz.
“He said he’s been cramping for a few games. I didn’t notice. He was moving pretty well, I guess he was playing anyway. It’s really humid here… tough conditions.”
Coco Gauff opened the ball for the 2023 champions with a victory 6-1, 6-4 on Karolina Muchova in a remake of the Beijing final in October that the American won.
“It’s never easy against Karolina”declared the world number three, Gauff, who recovered from a break in the second set to beat A stream in Sydney.
“Throughout the match I was intense and focused and I think that’s what made the difference today.”
