The United States claimed the inaugural United Cup on Sunday with an emphatic efficiency over Italy within the last of the Mixed Teams occasion.
No. 9-ranked Taylor Fritz beat former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berretini 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) to provide the United States an unassailable 3-0 lead within the best-of-five matchup.
The Indian Wells Masters champion didn’t convert 9 break factors however confronted none on his serve and proved the extra steady participant within the two tiebreakers.
He was surrounded by his teammates on the Ken Rosewall Arena after profitable the title for the Americans.
Fritz stated, “We came into the event with really high expectations before the start and I was really happy to be in a position to win the match and when you win and everyone runs on you, it’s amazing. “
“We’ve got a lot of team bonding going on this week and it was a lot of fun.”
Jessica Pegula beat Martina Trevisan 6-4, 6-2 to place the US on profitable methods as she continued her sturdy run of type, which included a win over top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Friday.
2022 US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe took the lead when Lorenzo Musetti withdrew with a shoulder damage after dropping the primary set of their match 6-2.
A useless rubber was awarded within the case of the singles match title between Madison Keys and Lucia Bronzetti, though rating factors and prize cash had been provided.
The US was thought of a favourite primarily based on group power for the 18-nation event, the place all 4 singles gamers had been ranked within the prime 20 on the planet.
Entering the ultimate, the US had misplaced simply two of the 20 rubbers performed in opposition to the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain and Poland.
Dual-Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova defeated Pegula within the opening tie of the occasion, whereas 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist Cameron Norrie defeated Fritz in three units on 4 January.
Similarly in Fritz’s 7-6, 7-6 win over Poland’s Hubert Hercz on Saturday, the battle between Fritz and Berretini dominated serving.
But Berrettini, who misplaced to Stefanos Tsitsipas in three units within the semifinal in opposition to Greece on Saturday, misplaced his composure early within the first tiebreaker and late within the second handy Fritz the win.
Fritz stated, “I got a lot of opportunities there and he played so well in those opportunities, so he made it really tough for me.”
Pegula claimed the primary three video games in opposition to Trevisan after which withstood the problem of the No. 27-ranked participant within the first set and earned a convincing victory.
No. 3-ranked Pegula stated that as her group’s top-ranked participant of any gender, she wished to guide by instance.
“I wanted to win because I’m the No. 1 American on the team. I wanted to hug her. I didn’t want to be ashamed of it.”
Tiafoe, No. 19, was in a dominant place in opposition to Musetti when the Italian ended the match on the opening level of the second set.
The 20-year-old had acquired medical therapy after dropping serve after trailing 2-5 within the first set.
American coach David Witt, who can be Pegula’s private coach, praised his gamers for his or her teamwork.
It is an honor to be his coach and benefit from the time spent collectively. It’s been nice,” he stated.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
