Team USA have won the inaugural United Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney defeating Italy 4-0.
Taylor Fritz clinched the title for his country when he defeated Matteo Berrettini 7-6(4) 7-6(6) in a nail-biting duel. Jessica Pegula and Frances Tiafoe each earned a point for the Americans earlier on Sunday to give their country an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
“It’s great. It’s amazing for the team to win this event. We came in with really high hopes, or at least I did, for the event,” Fritz said. “I was really happy to be in that position to clinch the match.”
World No.3 Pegula gave her country a good start against Italy with a straight-sets victory against Martina Trevisan. Tiafoe then surged through the first set against Lorenzo Musetti when the Italian retired due to a right shoulder injury. Madison Keys went on to defeat Lucia Bronzetti in the final match of the tie.
Team USA produced a dominant performance throughout the United Cup, dropping just two individual matches. None of their ties were closer than 4-1.
Showcasing equality at the highest level of the sport, the inaugural United Cup saw mixed teams from 18 countries compete across three Australian cities – Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.
United Cup fast facts
- The inaugural United Cup saw mixed teams from 18 countries compete across three Australian cities – Brisbane, Perth and Sydney
- In total, 133 players including nine top 10 singles players featured in the first edition
- Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, RAC Arena in Perth and Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney hosted the United Cup group stage from Thursday 29 December to Wednesday 4 January
- Three City Winners – Greece, Poland, USA and the next best performing team – Italy – advanced to the United Cup Final Four in Sydney
- Team USA defeated Italy 4-0 to win the first edition of the United Cup on Sunday 8 January
- The United Cup, an ATP-WTA event presented in partnership with Tennis Australia, offered USD $15 million in prize money as well as up to 500 Pepperstone ATP and 500 WTA rankings points.
