Sydney. The German tennis team lost the second group game against last year’s finalists Poland at the United Cup and has to worry about reaching the quarter-finals. Alexander Zverev suffered his first defeat of the new season in the first singles 3:6, 4:6 against Hubert Hurkacz in Sydney. The world number three found no way to counter the Pole’s strong serves and, completely frustrated, smashed a racket after the break to make it 3-4 in the second set. Hurkacz returned to the tour after a break of more than six months due to knee surgery, but showed no teething problems and served 21 aces. Despite a strong performance, Eva Lys then lost to world number two Iga Świątek 6:3, 3:6, 4:6. At the start, Germany won 3-0 against the Netherlands. If they had won, the German team would certainly have been in the top eight. Progression now depends on the results of the remaining group games. In addition to the winners, the best runner-up of the three groups in Sydney also makes it to the knockout phase of the tournament. (dpa/jW)
Keep reading
