On Wednesday in Australia, the six nations that won each round robin group will play in the city finals. The three winning teams from each final, along with the best-performing losing team from the group stage, will become the four semifinalists. Each city will stage five matches on Wednesday, with each nation needing to win three matches to secure the tie.
In Sydney, the United States faces Great Britain, headlined by a matchup between Taylor Fritz and Cameron Norrie. In Perth, Greece takes on Croatia, which will include Stefanos Tsitsipas, Maria Sakkiari, and Borna Coric. And in Brisbane, Poland plays Italy, featuring Iga Swiatek, Hubert Hurkacz, and Matteo Berrettini.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most prominent matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play gets underway at 12:30pm local time in all three cities.
Taylor Fritz [USA] vs. Cameron Norrie [GBR] – Second on in Sydney
Both players went 2-0 in round robin play. Fritz defeated Jiri Lehecka and Sascha Zverev in straight sets, while Norrie overcame Alex de Minaur and Rafael Nadal.
Fritz went 46-21 last season, with three titles, including his first Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells. Norrie went 49-26, with two titles.
This will be their 12th meeting, with all matches taking place within the last four years, and all on hard courts. Fritz has a narrow 6-5 edge. They played three times in 2022, and all three matches were in team events. At last year’s ATP Cup, Fritz prevailed 6-1 in the third. In Davis Cup, Norrie prevailed 7-5 in the third. And in Laver Cup, Fritz was victorious in a deciding-set tiebreak.
Another tight encounter between these top 15 players is likely on Wednesday. But based on the quality of his wins over de Minaur and Nadal, I give Norrie the slight advantage. And this may be a crucial match for Great Britain, as the USA’s Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula are both considerable favorites in this tie’s WTA singles contests.
Hurbert Hurkacz [POL] vs. Matteo Berrettini [ITA] – Not Before 5:30pm in Brisbane
Both men are 2-0 thus far at this event. Hurkacz beat Alexander Bublik and Stan Wawrinka, and Berrettini defeated Thiago Monteiro and Casper Ruud.
They have split their two previous meetings. Four years ago in Miami, Hubi won in straight sets. And two years ago, these men faced off in one of the biggest matches of both of their careers. In the semifinals of Wimbledon, Matteo prevailed in four sets.
Berrettini has been serving extremely well through two matches at this event, winning 88% of first serve points, and not being broken. If he can maintain that level, he’s the favorite to earn the win for Italy. And with Poland’s Iga Swiatek and Magda Linette favored on the WTA side of this tie, Italy may need this match in order to keep their advancement hopes alive.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Stefanos Tsitsipas [GRE] vs. Borna Coric [CRO] – Both men are 2-0, and share a dramatic history with each other. Coric leads Tsitsipas 3-1, which includes a huge come-from-behind victory at the 2020 US Open, a straight-set win in the final of Cincinnati last August, and a third-set tiebreak triumph a few months ago in Vienna.
Iga Swiatek [POL] vs. Martina Trevisan [ITA] – Swiatek is 2-0 to this stage, while Trevisan is 1-1. They have split two previous meetings.
The United Cup daily schedule is here.
