Gao Xinyu, Zhang Zhizhen lead China to 3-0 opening win at United Cup

Gao Xinyu fought back from one set down, and Zhang Zhizhen was almost flawless, as China started the mixed team United Cup with a 3-0 victory over Brazil in Perth on Friday.

China held an unassailable 2-0 lead ahead of the mixed doubles contest, after Gao and Zhang prevailed in contrasting singles matches at the RAC Arena in western Australia.

Fifth-seeded China's chances of a deep run in the tournament appeared to take a major hit when women's World No. 5 Zheng Qinwen pulled out of the lineup, to prioritize more rest ahead of the Australian Open.

The 175th-ranked Gao filled her shoes brilliantly, however, after bravely overcoming cramps to edge Beatriz Haddad Maia 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in a three-hour, 22-minute thriller that was the longest women's singles match in tournament history.

Gao required a medical timeout in the second set, and had her left thigh heavily strapped before the 17th-ranked Haddad Maia also succumbed to cramps during a gripping third set, and resorted to several underhand serves.

Haddad Maia moved better after that, but Gao was not to be denied and clinched the biggest victory of her career in her first match against a player ranked in the Top 50.

"I have no idea what happened, my brain was empty and my whole body was cramping," Gao said. "It's a really big stage and it was a high quality match. I just pushed myself."

Things were far easier for the 45th-ranked Zhang, who saw off Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 6-0 after a 54-minute demolition. Zhang dictated rallies from the back of the court, and completely overwhelmed his 109th-ranked opponent to ensure China sealed the Group E tie after the two singles matches.

"Yes, because of my team, they're doing a very good job," Zhang said when asked if he was a better player than 12 months ago. He went on to prevail in the mixed doubles alongside Zhang Shuai, after beating Brazil's Carolina Alves and Rafael Matos 6-4, 7-5.

Earlier, Kazakhstan opened the tournament and the new tennis season with a tough 2-1 victory over Spain in Group C.

Spain took the opening match after former World No. 10 Pablo Carreno Busta thrashed Alexander Shevchenko 6-2, 6-1 in 64 minutes.

The pressure was on World No. 6 Elena Rybakina, who responded with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. She jumped out of the blocks with a 4-0 lead, and cruised to victory despite Bouzas Maneiro putting up a fight.

The win marked a strong start to Rybakina's quest to add a second Grand Slam trophy, following her memorable victory at Wimbledon in 2022, when she became the first player representing Kazakhstan to win a major title.

Rybakina finished as runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the 2023 Australian Open, but couldn't replicate that success earlier this year at Melbourne Park, after crashing to a shock second-round exit at the hands of Russia's Anna Blinkova.

"It was a really tough one, first matches are always difficult," Rybakina said. "I'm really happy with the way I played today. I'm focusing on the Grand Slams and trying to get some big titles."

Rybakina and Shevchenko closed things out with a thrilling 7-6(4), 6-7(2), 10-7 victory in the deciding mixed doubles match against Carreno Busta and Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers.