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USA, Italy to vie for inaugural United Cup title
CGTN

On day two of the tennis' United Cup semifinals on Saturday, Team USA and Team Italy reached the final by defeating Team Poland 5-0 and Team Greece 4-1, respectively. 

A fierce showdown, featuring two men's singles, two women's singles and one mixed doubles, will unfold on Sunday between the two finalists, and the winner will lift the 50-centimeter-tall hand-crafted championship trophy at the Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney.

Team USA members support Taylor Fritz in his match against Hubert Hurkacz during the 2023 United Cup in Sydney, Australia, January 7, 2023. /CFP
Team USA members support Taylor Fritz in his match against Hubert Hurkacz during the 2023 United Cup in Sydney, Australia, January 7, 2023. /CFP

Team USA members support Taylor Fritz in his match against Hubert Hurkacz during the 2023 United Cup in Sydney, Australia, January 7, 2023. /CFP

With USA taking a 2-0 lead, Taylor Fritz secured a berth for his side in the last match by edging Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5).

Fritz's compatriot Madison Keys then overcame lower-ranked Magda Linette 6-4, 6-2 in the women's singles.

Fritz also teamed up with world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the mixed doubles match against the Polish duo Alicja Rosolska and Lukasz Kubot.

The American pair dug deep to claw past their opponents 6-7, 6-4, 10-6 in a 115-minute encounter.

The Final Four of the inaugural United Cup were divided into two parts. Each team finished one men's singles and one women's singles on Friday, while the remaining one men's singles, one women's singles and one mixed doubles were staged on Saturday.

Pegula and Frances Tiafoe spearheaded USA to a flying start on day one of the semifinals by trouncing world No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-2 and easing past world No. 245 Kacper Zuk 6-3, 6-3, respectively.

Swiatek couldn't hold back her tears after losing to the 28-year-old world No. 3 who went down 1-4 in their head-to-head series.

"I just knew that I felt kind of helpless today because physically and mentally I wasn't able to kind of show up even and problem solve," Swiatek told reporters on Friday.

Reaching the Final Four as the best-placed runner-up, Italy already compiled two wins over the Perth City champion Greece, as world No. 27 Martina Trevisan upset high-ranked Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6(4)-7, 7-5 in a three-hour, 15-minute thriller and Lorenzo Musetti breezed to a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 win over Stefanos Sakellaridis.

Team Italy celebrate after Lucia Bronzetti defeated Valentini Grammatikopoulou during the 2023 United Cup in Sydney, Australia, January 7, 2023. /CFP
Team Italy celebrate after Lucia Bronzetti defeated Valentini Grammatikopoulou during the 2023 United Cup in Sydney, Australia, January 7, 2023. /CFP

Team Italy celebrate after Lucia Bronzetti defeated Valentini Grammatikopoulou during the 2023 United Cup in Sydney, Australia, January 7, 2023. /CFP

Later on Saturday night, Stefanos Tsitsipas first beat Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 in a three-set rubber, which helped Greece seize one point back.

In the deciding women's singles, however, world No. 199 Valentini Grammatikopoulou was dispatched by Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 6-3 in 78 minutes, which sent Italy to the final.

"It was not easy, because it was the most important point. I felt pressure because I had to win. But now it's even more important and more funny for me. I am happy," Bronzetti said at the post-game press conference.

After a short break, Grammatikopoulou returned to the court, paired with her countryman Petros Tsitsipas, who is the younger brother of Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The Greek mixed doubles pair suffered a 3-6, 6-4, 5-10 defeat to Camilla Rosatello and Andrea Vavassori, locking up the final 1-4 loss of their country to Italy on the scoreboard.

(Cover: Profile picture of the United Cup Trophy. /CFP)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency

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