United Cup | Final | The United States win the first edition against Italy

The United States won the first United Cup in Sydney on Sunday by beating Italy in the final, thanks to the success of Taylor Fritz in front of Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (8/6). Frances Tiafoe and Jessica Pegula had previously delivered high level performances to put the United States in ideal position.

Fritz clinched victory over Berrettini after a very close match. The world No.9 constantly put pressure on the Italian’s serve, getting four break points in his first two service games, but all of them were saved. Despite Fritz’s dominance from the baseline, the first set ended in a tie-break where the American took a 3-0 lead before concluding. He again created a series of break points in the second set, but Berrettini hung on and the match ended again in a tie-break in which the American triumphed.

“It’s amazing for the team to win this event, we came in with high hopes. We’re really happy to be able to win the game. The emotions you get when you win are amazing,” underlined the winner of Indian Wells last year. “We worked a lot on team cohesion this week, he added. When we combine the guys and girls from the United States, we are so high in the rankings that it makes the team much stronger.” he rejoiced.

Pegula in great shape

Pegula, world number three, who burst into the top 10 in 2022 by winning the WTA 1000 tournament in Guadalajara, won 6-4, 6-2 against Martina Trevisan.“Martina plays very well, she’s a fighter, I feel like she feeds on the atmosphere with the fans and her team, and it’s really hard to beat someone like that”pointed out Pegula. “I’m happy that I was able to play well enough to get the win”, she added. After beating world number one Iga Swiatek for the first time in the semis, she was quick to spring into action against Trevisan, taking a 3-0 lead after stealing the Italian’s first serve.

Trevisan then converted a break point in game five, holding serve to level the score. But Pegula again seized the service of the native of Florence to win the first set with a winning backhand. In the second set, the American accelerated to lead 5-0. But the Italian refused to give up and earned the break as Pegula served for the match, before ultimately failing to come back.

Tiafoe picked up where her compatriot left off, quickly winning Musetti’s serve and saving all three break points he faced on his own. The Italian complained more and more about his right shoulder as the match went on before getting treatment and ending the encounter at the end of the first set. “I thought it was a very high level… Obviously, at the end, I saw that he touched his shoulder a lot”Tiafoe said. “I didn’t want to win this way. I hope Lorenzo feels better”said the 24-year-old, who won for the first time in his career against the Italian after two losses on the circuit.