Gauff and the United States take on the formidable Canadian team

It was Coco Gauff's first Christmas away from her Florida home, but cuddly quokkas helped ease the pain.

Perhaps not as popular as their marsupial cousins ​​– koalas, kangaroos and wallabies – Rottnest Island quokkas are cat-sized and damn cute. Just a ferry ride (or quicker helicopter ride) from Perth, Gauff, 20, visited them with his parents and younger brothers Codey and Cameron ahead of the United Cup's opening match American team Sunday against 1-0. Canada.

It’s great to bring my family here,” Gauff told Tennis Australia. They're on Christmas vacation, so for them to be able to see another part of the world is cool.

United Cup: Scores|Draws|Order of play

What's really cool is that the Gauffs team is the top seed in the 18-team mixed event. She and compatriot Taylor Fritz are the only two singles players from the same nation to appear in the PIF Top 10.

Fritz was on board for the first United Cup in 2023, when the United States won the title with a team that also included Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe. The Americans have won 13 of their last 14 matches – against Great Britain, Poland and Italy – and Fritz has gone 7 of 8.

This is actually my third time in Perth since I played the ATP Cup here in 2020, so I know the city quite well and I'm happy to be back in Perth,” Fritz said. Coco and I have gained some experience playing mixed doubles at the Olympics so hopefully that will help us.

And they're both coming off a torrid finish in 2024. Fritz reached the championship match of the ATP Finals before falling to Jannik Sinner. Gauff defeated Zheng Qinwen in the three-hour Barnburner championship match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

After a few weeks off, Fritz completed training camps in Miami and Los Angeles. He's 27 now and, believe it or not, this is his 11th season as a professional.

As I get a little older, it's not so much about killing myself as much as possible in the offseason, the world No. 4 said. It's about training whilst feeling recharged and ready to go and highly motivated to come back and be ready to play in Australia.

I feel like it's kind of about finding a balance between working as much as I can without burning out.

Gauff, meanwhile, hopes to repeat her success from last year in the United States – and perhaps surpass it. She won the title in Auckland and advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open before falling to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. The score was 7-6 (2), 6-4.

Why did she decide to play the United Cup for the first time?

I wanted to play at a higher level of competition and also in a team competition, Gauff said. I had a lot of fun with the Olympics. The seasons are already so lonely that it's nice to mix them up.

Here's a quick look at Sunday's matches – four United Cup draws and eight collisions in the main draw in Brisbane.

Sydney Group B: Czech Republic v Norway

Start time: (10:30 a.m. local, 6:30 p.m. ET)

[8] Karolina Muchova (CZE) vs. [15] Malene Helgo (NOR)[8] Tomas Machac (CZE) against [15] Casper Ruud (NOR)[8] Karolina Muchova (CZE) / Tomas Machac (CZE) against [15] Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) / Casper Ruud (NOR)

Daniel Vacek was a formidable pro, winning 25 doubles titles, including three Grand Slams with partner Yevgeny Kafelnikov. The Czech Republic captain says watching from the sidelines is tough on the nerves.

It's much more difficult to be a captain or coach than a player, because sometimes you have to deal with very unstable individuals, Vacek told reporters with a laugh. No, it's completely different. It's very nice to have young players around me, and it's very nice to be able to pass on some of the experiences that I've managed to gain over the years.

Muchova, who has struggled with injuries for much of her career, finally returned to health in mid-2024 after nine months away from tennis – and the results have been spectacular. She reached the final in Palermo, then won 14 of her last 17 matches, at the US Open, Beijing 1000 and Ningbo.

Muchova and Helgo never played.

Ruud sits at No. 6 in the world – one of four Top 10s on the ATP Tour playing in the United Cup – and is coming off a strong 51-25 season. He won titles in Geneva and Barcelona and defeated Carlos Alcaraz en route to the semifinals of the Nitto ATP Finals. His victim in the Geneva final? Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic, but only by a score of 7-5 6-3. Ruud leads the head-to-head 2-0.

Group D: Italy vs Switzerland

Start time: (5:30 p.m. local, 1:30 a.m. ET)

[4] Flavio Cobolli (ITA) against [16] Dominic Stricker (SUI)[4] Jasmine Paolini (ITA) against [16] Belinda Bencic (SUI)[4] Sara Errani (ITA) / Andrea Vavassori (ITA) against [16] Belinda Bencic (SUI) / Dominic Stricker (SUI)

Italy is on the rise in team competitions.

The women won the Billie Jean King Cup title just over a month ago in Malaga, Spain, and then the men followed that up by winning the Davis Cup crown.

Is Italy's United Cup captain feeling the pressure to win the Triple Crown?

No, replied Renzo Furlan. Each competition is different. We are very happy with what we have done in 2024 and we are motivated to do well day after day. Well, see what happens.

What's happening is Paolini. She is 0-2 against Bencic, but that was before the 28-year-old had the season of her life, reaching the finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon and finishing the year ranked 4th – 26 places more than its previous year. finish best.

The men's match features 22-year-old Flavio Cobolli and Dominic Stricker, two of the most dynamic young players. In fact, their only meeting was two years ago at the ATP Tours Next Gen Final, with the Italian taking the lead.

I think we can do great things in this competition, Cobolli said. We are happy to get started. We are also ready to go.

Switzerland too after beating France 2-1 on Saturday. Bencic and Stricker won the decisive mixed doubles match.

We really shot,” Bencic said. We played together for the first time, but I really had the impression that the atmosphere was there, that we understood each other on the pitch.

Perth Group E: Germany v Brazil

Start time: (10 a.m. local, 9 p.m. ET)

[11] Laura Siegemund (GER) against [13] Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)[11] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. [13] Thiago Monteiro (BRA)[11] Laura Siegemund (GER) / Alexander Zverev (GER) against [13] Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) / Rafael Matos (BRA)

Ranked 16th out of 18 teams a year ago, Germany cruised through the field and won the second edition of the United Cup. It was a stunning upset, led by Zverev, who won eight of ten matches.

And while three-time Grand Slam champion Angélique Kerber played the singles matches, it was Laura Siegemund who was the biggest contributor on the women's side, teaming up with Zverev to win their last three mixed matches – against Greece , Australia and, in the final. , Italy.

Will Russell/Getty Images

Germany comes this year as the No. 11 seed, and its Siegemund occupies the singles role. She holds a surprising 3-1 advantage over Haddad Maia, who sits in 13th place, 67 places ahead of Siegemund.

Zverev beat Monteiro in the previous two meetings.

Brazil find themselves in a must-win situation after losing to China 3-0 on Friday. Haddad Maia was upset by Gao Xinyu, a late replacement for Zheng Qinwen.

Group A: United States vs. Canada

Start time: (5 p.m. local, 4 p.m. ET)

[1] Coco Gauff (United States) vs. [7] Leylah Fernández (CAN)[1] Taylor Fritz (United States) vs. [7] Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)[1] Coco Gauff (United States) / Taylor Fritz (United States) v [7] Leylah Fernandez (CAN) / Félix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)

The matchups and rankings suggest the Americans have the advantage, but there is also another factor at play: revenge.

Fritz and Gauff teamed up in mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics and reached the quarter-finals – only to lose to Canadians Auger-Aliassime and Gabriela Dabrowski.

I think we were all motivated to play, no matter if it was Canada or whoever it was,” Gauff told reporters. I think we all want to win. It's not an easy start to the first match of the year, facing Leylah and Felix.

Flashback to the WTA Finals: Gauffs championship and unforgettable moments

At the Olympics, we lost to Team Canada. I hope we can get a little revenge for this.

Canada got off to a good start on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over Croatia. Auger-Aliassime and Fernandez teamed up to win the crucial match.

We both knew about these competitions, Auger-Aliassime said. There are a lot of matches to play and you have to stay calm through it all, through the roller coaster.

Fernandez beat Olympic singles silver medalist Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-3. The match against Gauff is another opportunity to assess where his level stands.

It's super important, Fernandez said. I feel very lucky to be part of this group. Coco and Donna are great players. Starting the year playing against them will be a great way to see what I need to improve on over the next few weeks leading up to AO.

More WTA action in Australia kicks off Brisbane International

Play begins Sunday with a marquee-laden mixed doubles exhibition. Patrick Rafter, after whom the arena is named, will partner Ons Jabeur against three-time major champion Ashleigh Barty and Frances Tiafoe.

There are eight WTA main draw matches scheduled:

[Q] Maddison Inglis (AUS) vs [WC] Maya Joint (AUS) Marie Bouzkova (CZE) vs [WC] Talia Gibson (AUS) Ashlyn Krueger (USA) vs. Maya Uchijima (JPN) Elina Avanesyan (ARM) vs. Rebecca Sramkova (SVK) Anna Blinkova vs. [Q] Sara Bejlek (CZE) Magda Linette (POL) v McCartney Kessler (USA) Kamilla Rakhimova v Suzan Lamens (NED) Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) v Renata Zarazua (MEX) Auckland ASB Classic

The 32-player draw is set and the main draw begins on Monday.

The eight seeds are, in order, Madison Keys, Elise Mertens, Amanda Anisimova, Lulu Sun, Clara Tauson, Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka and Katie Volynets.

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