The United States won its second United Cup mixed tournament title in three years on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Poland, with singles victories for Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz.
As the top seed in the $10 million tournament that saw 18 nations compete, the Americans clinched the trophy when Fritz beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (4), after Gauff dominated Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 in Sydney.
The United States also won the title in 2023 during the first edition of this competition, which serves as preparation for the Australian Open.
With the second singles match tied at 1 set, Fritz stepped up his game to 3-3 in the deciding set tiebreak to trip Hurkacz, sparking big celebrations.
Gauff, meanwhile, stepped up her preparations for the Australian Open, which begins next Sunday, with a second consecutive victory over world number 2 Swiatek in a highly anticipated match that delighted Arena spectators Ken Rosewall.
The world number 3, who had already beaten Swiatek to win the WTA Finals title the previous season, initially let a 2-0 lead slip away in the first set, before reacting to gain the upper hand as her opponent committed 19 unforced errors.
In a high-intensity second set, Gauff managed to come back to 4-4 after losing a break and went on to secure the victory, finishing her singles run at the tournament without any defeats.
“I believe I am one of the best players in the world. When I play well, it’s hard to beat me,” said Gauff, who also beat Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekic, Zhang Shuai and Karolina Muchova at the event. “Today I think I played well. I’m happy I was able to score a point for Team USA. It was tough today, I’m not going to lie.”
