United Cup: Taylor Fritz ousts Hubert Hurkacz to send United States into final

Sydney [Australia], January 7 (ANI): World No 9 Taylor Fritz won his singles match against Hubert Hurkacz to seal the semifinal win for the USA against Poland on Saturday in Sydney.

Team USA raced to a 2-0 lead over Team Poland in the United Cup Final Four on Friday while ace American tennis star Fritz gave the team an unassailable 3-0 lead. In the No. 1 men’s singles match, the reigning BNP Paribas Open champion defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(5), 7-6(5) to give his country a 3-0 lead. Jessica Pegula defeated World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and Frances Tiafoe defeated Kacper Zuk to give the Americans their first two points.

Fritz was followed by Madison Keys, who defeated Magda Linette 6-4, 6-2. Fritz and Pegula then completed a 5-0 sweep by defeating Lukasz Kubot and Alicja Rosolska in mixed doubles, 6-7(5), 6-4, 10-6. The US team is now 4-0 in mixed doubles in the United Cup.

“It was great to get the win today to get us through. I had no doubt that if I were to lose that the rest of the team would have come through. But I’ve played with Team USA a lot. I think it’s a huge advantage this time having the girls on our team because it just makes the whole team so much stronger. I’m super excited going into the final and I think we’ve been the favourites all week.” said Fritz as quoted by ATPTour.com.

Team USA will face either Team Italy or Team Greece in the championship match. In their semi-final match, Italy leads Greece 2-0.
“I think whoever serves better is probably going to get over the line,” Tiafoe predicted for the Fritz-Hurkacz clash Friday afternoon.

That proved to be prophetic. Fritz won 88 per cent of his first-serve points and was able to manoeuvre into advantageous positions in points following his serve.
At 5-4 in the first set, Hurkacz earned two set points on return. On his first opportunity, the Polish player missed a mid-rally crosscourt forehand and a forehand return that was just long on his second. Those missed opportunities proved to be the undoing for Hurkacz.

During the first-set tie-break, neither man gave up a mini-break, and the tension was palpable inside Ken Rosewall Arena. On his first set point, Fritz took the initiative and forced Hurkacz’s backhand into the net.

Hurkacz also had chances to break Fritz’s serve at 5-5, 15/40 in the second set, but the American saved them with a big serve and forehand volley. With two serves at 5/4 in the tie-break, the Pole appeared to be in a position to force a decider, but he missed two forehands, allowing Fritz to close out the match and tie.

Keys had had two previous encounters with Linette in the previous two months. Linette’s previous victory was also in the team competition, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November.

Both players came into the match with an undefeated United Cup record, and it was Keys who retained hers with a dominant display of power. Throughout a tight first set, she did not face a break point while consistently creating chances on return. Though Linette was able to save the first two break points she faced, Keys converted her fourth of the day — also a set point — by hammering a backhand return in the second and sixth games.

Linette’s only break of serve came in the first game of the second set, but Keys responded by increasing her focus to immediately break back and win six of the final seven games of the match.