“It was the first time in my life this week seeing a Top 100 player in front of me, actually,” Sakellaridis, who competes regularly on the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour, told ATPTour.com in Perth. “When everyone was coming by, like [David] Goffin, [Grigor] Dimitrov, I was like, ‘Oh, wow’.”

On Tuesday, an injury to his teammate Michail Pervolarakis meant Sakellaridis was called upon to make his tour-level debut against Team Belgium’s Zizou Bergs. Taking on the World No. 129 in front of the biggest crowd of his career could have overwhelmed a player who had never played a match on the ATP Challenger Tour, but Sakellaridis battled to a stunning 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win.

What a win!

Greek teen Stefanos Sakellaridis has just scored the biggest win of his young career, leading to emotional scenes in Perth#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/6pZtnsMSf1

— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 3, 2023

The result triggered huge outbursts of emotion from his teammates, including Top 10 stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari as well as his sister Sapfo Sakellaridi. Sakellaridis acknowledged that the positive atmosphere in the Team Greece camp this week played a key role in believing he could step up his level when required.

“You can see that the team chemistry is unbelievable, so it’s a huge boost for every one of us to play much better,” said Sakellaridis. “When you feel good, you play good.”

Even prior to his standout win, Sakellaridis felt supported by his teammates in Perth, where Team Greece will compete in the City Finals on Wednesday after winning Group A. The ATP World No. 4 Tsitsipas is an obvious role model for the teen as he seeks to improve his game.

“To be able to live with [Tsitsipas] throughout the day, you can see how much work he puts in and my respect towards the top players has grown immensely,” said Sakellaridis. “Stefanos has given me lots of advice, he has helped me a lot. Also all the team, they seem like they really want to help me, all of them gave me advice.

“Obviously from watching here, what they do and how they do it on the court and outside the court, I can also see some things for myself. All in all it is an amazing experience to come here.”

One part of that experience has been playing with a fully maintained racquet for the first time in months. In his on-court interview, Sakellaridis paid tribute to a member of the tournament stringing team, who had solved an ongoing issue with the 18-year-old’s stock of equipment.

“I was competing for the last two or three months, [but] I was using only one racquet,” explained Sakellaridis later. “I had grip problems with all my racquets, so I didn’t want to use any others. I was only using the same racquet because it was the only one that felt like the grip was how I like it.

“That racquet, after I played with it a bit, the butt cap [at the bottom of the handle] started moving, so in the past month I was playing with one racquet, and the grip was moving. Then I came here, and he fixed all my racquets, so now I can freely play.”

As well as precious experience on the big stage, Tuesday’s win earned Sakellaridis 20 Pepperstone ATP Ranking points and $25,900 in prize money. It is a potentially career-changing moment for the 18-year-old.

“It’s my ATP debut, and it came with a win, and prize money that I couldn’t imagine,” said Sakellaridis. “[After the United Cup] I’m going to compete in Monastir for the next few weeks. There is a 15K ITF tournament there, but we’ll see how it goes. It was a big win and a big step up in the rankings.”

The Brisbane United Cup press conference room was a classroom on Tuesday, and Italian Matteo Berrettini was the professor.

A group of 14 local Australian junior players sat in on Team Italy’s press conference following the country’s tie victory against Norway. When asked what advice the World No. 16 Berrettini would give them, the 26-year-old went into deep thought.

“I think I was really lucky because I met this guy when I was 14,” Berrettini said of his coach and Team Italy captain Vincenzo Santopadre. “I’m always joking around, but, I mean, I have to thank him. I never thank him enough for what we did together.”

Berrettini explained that what he has learned over the years is the importance of enjoying what he is doing as a professional tennis player, through the highs and the lows.

“Obviously it gets tougher and tougher. At the beginning everything is new, so you play the first Slam, you play the first big tournament, then the pressure is coming,” Berrettini said. “You learn as a person, you learn as a player, and you try to kind of learn from what is happening. I’m going to stop talking now.”

But the Italian was not done. He saved perhaps the most valuable lesson for last.

“I think the most important thing for me at least was I always say that every day I put a brick in my wall so I feel like even when I’m losing, doesn’t matter, I feel I have to learn something from what happened,” Berrettini said. “I think that’s the advice I’m going to tell them. So even the worst days, feel that something good happened and take that good and try to improve.”

The floor was opened to questions from the junior players and one 15-year-old volunteered to ask Berrettini one.

“Matteo, regarding the pressure, is there something you do to take down the pressure?” the junior asked. “Is there a routine or something you do before the match to take the pressure down?”

“That’s a great question, actually. The pressure never goes away. Doesn’t matter if you’re Grand Slam champion, which I’m not, or a Top-10 player. It’s always there,” Berrettini said. “Yesterday night I was talking to my coach. I felt a lot of pressure, not just for this match but for the season. The season is starting. Last year was a tough year. It’s always there.

“Like I said, it’s learning from who you are. From the stuff you’re doing, you try to learn yourself in a way.”

WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia delivered the goods under pressure on Tuesday, when she defeated Petra Martic 7-6(9), 6-4 in a must-win United Cup rubber to keep France’s hopes of advancing to the Perth City Finals alive.

Croatia had led 2-0 overnight after wins for Donna Vekic and Borna Coric, but Garcia came into her clash with Martic with a promising 4-1 head-to-head record. The WTA Finals champion backed that up, extending it to 5-1 as she denied Martic the chance to clinch for her team.

Fittingly for a contest between two of the best servers on Tour, the first set went down to the wire and was decided by the thinnest of margins. Through the first 12 games, it was Martic who carved out more chances on return, deploying her sliced backhand to fine effect — including on one lofted lob that left Garcia flailing.

Garcia needed her finest serves to save break points in the first and ninth games; by contrast, despite serving second, Martic conceded only four points behind her delivery through the first 12 games.

The ensuing tie-break was a thrilling microcosm of the match as a whole. Momentum shifted back and forth between the pair, and Garcia needed to save one set point at 6/7 before converting her fifth by putting away a short forehand.

🇫🇷 @CaroGarcia takes the first set 7-6 vs. Martic!#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/PEIcCwjEdj

— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 3, 2023

Garcia still had to stave off a further two break points at the start of the second set, but that was her last moment of danger. In the next game, she broke Martic to love, sealing the game by rushing forwards off her return and finding a volley winner that clipped the net on its way into the open court.

The Frenchwoman, who fired seven aces among her 33 total winners, would only drop four more points on serve as she maintained her lead through the end of the match.

Hubert Hurkacz earned a critical win for Team Poland on Tuesday evening against Team Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka, putting his country one victory from the Brisbane City Final.

Hurkacz battled through a tense clash against the former World No. 3 7-6(5), 6-4 to give Poland a 2-1 advantage. Magda Linette will now try to close out the tie in the No. 2 women’s singles match against Jil Teichmann. If Teichmann wins, the mixed doubles match will decide the tie.

“Never had a chance before to play against Stan, so I was really looking forward for that match. He’s such a legend of the sport. I was watching him win the Grand Slams and now I can share the court with him, so that was a huge pleasure for me,” Hurkacz said. “Definitely a very big match. Obviously very happy to get a point for Team Poland, so I was really excited about it. It was a big point for us and we’ll keep fighting.” 

The stakes were high for Hurkacz and Wawrinka, with both players knowing the edge in Group B was hanging in the balance. Switzerland playing captain battled hard and the margins were fine, but World No. 10 Hurkacz found his best in the critical moments to triumph after one hour and 39 minutes.

Hurkacz made a quick start by immediately breaking Wawrinka’s serve. But once the 37-year-old Swiss revved up his engine, it seemed his firepower might help turn the tide of the match.

However, the three-time Grand Slam champion made a critical error at 3/3 in the first-set tie-break, which proved his undoing. Wawrinka double faulted, and Hurkacz took full advantage to close out the set.

At 3-3 in the second set, a serving Wawrinka hit a screaming backhand passing shot for a winner to avoid facing triple break point. While it was a vintage ‘Stan The Man’ moment reminiscent of his time at the top of the sport, the Swiss was unable to hold off the Hurkacz barrage forever.

The Pole earned a break point later in the game and changed his approach, moving into the net with a ball to Wawrinka’s forehand, which faltered under the pressure.

“I found my rhythm on serve towards the end of the match and definitely from the baseline I was hitting some better shots,” Hurkacz said. “It was a really, really important match and I’m happy that I was building my game through the whole match and it was a really tough battle.”

The country that wins the tie will move on to face Italy in the Brisbane City Final. The Italians defeated Brazil and Norway to top Group E.

Italy is through to the Brisbane City Final at the United Cup after Matteo Berrettini guaranteed his country’s place atop Group E on Tuesday morning.

Berrettini won a heavyweight clash against World No. 3 Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to clinch Italy’s tie victory against Norway, earning an insurmountable 3-0 lead. Italy will face Poland or Switzerland in the City Final on Wednesday.

“The goal is to have the longest run possible. It’s super nice to play with my teammates. We know each other since a really young age. It’s crazy and now we’re representing Italy. It’s such an honour for us,” Berrettini said. “The other day at dinner we were talking about when we were 12 playing against each other. It’s super nice and I’m really happy. It’s the first time obviously playing with the girls and I think it’s special, different, maybe a little bit more stressful. But we’re enjoying [it] a lot.”

In 2022, Ruud defeated Berrettini in the Gstaad final and the US Open quarter-finals, claiming five consecutive sets against the Italian. But the big-serving Rome-native came out firing inside Pat Rafter Arena and powered past the Norwegian after one hour and 26 minutes.

Ruud has shown much improvement on hard courts, reaching an ATP Masters 1000 final on the surface last year in Miami and advancing to the championship match of the Nitto ATP Finals. But Berrettini played aggressively in hot conditions in Brisbane, especially with his forehand, keeping the Norwegian on the back foot throughout.

“Casper, he’s a super-solid player, he improved so much in the past year. So I knew that I had to serve my best,” Berrettini said. “We know each other pretty well, so we’re kind of always studying what we’re doing and I knew that I had to serve like that. One thing is knowing and one thing is doing it, but I’m really glad it worked out pretty well and happy.”

The pivotal moment in the match came with Berrettini facing two break points at 2-3 in the first set. If Ruud converted, the nine-time ATP Tour titlist might have seized the momentum. But he was unable to put a return in the court on either chance, with the Italian delivering booming serves to the delight of the Italian fans in the crowd. Berrettini did not face another break point in the match.

The World No. 16 hit 10 aces and won 88 per cent of his first-serve points (35/40) to move to 2-0 on the season having also defeated Brazilian Thiago Monteiro. 

Lucia  followed Berretini’s lead to hold off Ulrikke Eikeri in a one-hour-and-48-minute duel. The Italian improved to 2-0 on the season, having defeated Brazil’s Laura Pigossi in her season debut.

World No. 54 Bronzetti looked primed for a smooth day at the office, leading 6-2, 4-2 before Eikeri mounted a comeback and earned an opportunity to serve for the second set at 5-4. But the 24-year-old Italian quickly set aside her frustration to reel off the final two games and win in straight sets.

Italy will face either Poland or Switzerland in Wednesday’s City Finals. Poland and Switzerland go into the final day of group play locked at 1-1, setting up an exciting final stage of the tie later tonight. Poland will pit Hubert Hurkacz against Stan Wawrinka, while Magda Linette will face Jil Teichmann.

If the tie is locked at 2-2 after singles, the group winner will be determined by mixed doubles, where Iga Swiatek and Hurkacz are slated to face Belinda Bencic and Wawrinka.

Daniil Medvedev didn’t need to wait long for a confidence-boosting match to kickstart his 2023 season.

The former World No. 1, who ended 2022 on a four-match losing streak, saved nine set points in the first set against Lorenzo Sonego and had recovered an early break in the second when the Italian retired from the match with leg cramps.

“It was crazy. It’s probably the first time I’ve saved nine set points in my life,” said Medvedev, who was leading 7-6(6), 2-1 when the match ended. “What a match to start the year! It was unfortunate for everyone that it had to finish early and I wish Lorenzo a speedy recovery.”

Late in the 81-minute opening set, Medvedev found himself in a world of hurt, first saving six set points at 4-5 after earlier holding a 40/0 lead. In his next service game Medvedev was the one who had to rally, clawing back from 0/40 before forcing a tie-break.

Sonego took the fight to Medvedev, consistently crushing forehands and making several forays to the net to exploit Medvedev’s deep-court position. But the full-frontal attack may have taken its toll. Sonego received treatment on his right arm at the end of the first set and soon after retired with leg cramps.

“It was a great match and I was actually surprised that Lorenzo retired,” Medvedev said. “Great match. I think the level could be better from both of us at some moments, but considering that it’s the first match of the year I feel like it was a great fight.”

World No. 7 Medvedev is looking to re-establish himself in the World’s Top 5 after a mixed season in 2022. The 26-year-old spent 16 weeks as World No. 1 but won just two titles during his 45-19 campaign. He finished the year with four consecutive losses, however the last three were third-set tie-break losses to Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Medvedev, who last year pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets in the Australian Open final, next faces Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

World No. 3 Jessica Pegula tallied her first win of the season with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Germany’s Laura Siegemund on Day 6 of the United Cup. After wins from Taylor Fritz and Madison Keys on Day 5, Pegula’s dominant victory delivered the Americans an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Germany.

Having defeated the Czech Republic in their opening tie, the USA will finish Group C undefeated and advance to the City Finals where it will face Great Britain.

Tuesday’s victory was a meaningful one for Pegula in more ways than one. The win was her first singles win since capturing the biggest title of her career the Guadalajara Akron Open in October, snapping a four-match losing streak that began at the WTA Finals.

Coming off a hotly-contested 7-6(6), 6-4 loss to Petra Kvitova in her first match of the season, Pegula put in a comprehensive and dominant baseline performance to defeat Siegemund. The German struggled to gain any traction in Pegula’s quick service games, with Pegula winning 75 per cent if her first-serve points and 79 per cent of her second-serve points. The American lost just 10 points on her serve.

In the final singles match of the tie, Frances Tiafoe will face Oscar Otte.

Looking ahead to Wednesday’s City Finals against Great Britain, Pegula will prepare to face Harriet Dart in singles. The winner of the City Finals will advance to the United Cup Final Four, which begins on Friday.

While he will not leave the inaugural United Cup with a title for Team Spain, Rafael Nadal can take away the experience of two titanic tussles in Sydney as he looks to recapture his top form. The 36-year-old lost a pair of three-setters at the United Cup, to Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur, as Spain were eliminated from the mixed-gender event in the group stage.

It’s a very different start to the season compared to 2022, when Nadal won a personal-best 20 straight matches to open the year, including two titles Down Under at the Melbourne Summer Set and the Australian Open. But despite his 0-2 record, Nadal was happy to compete for nearly six hours across the contests, both of which he lost from a set up.

“I need hours on court. I need battles like this,” he said in a post-match press conference. “I didn’t play many official matches the last six months, almost seven.

“Days like these two help. Of course with victories the process is faster, but I need to keep fighting. That’s it. For moments I played very good level of tennis. Playing very good with the backhand. Changing directions with the forehand.”

While he rued missed chances and “important mistakes” against Australia’s De Minaur, Nadal still found plenty of positives from his United Cup experience — not least the unique opportunity to play alongside some of the WTA’s best, including teammate Paula Badosa

“I have two weeks before the Australian Open starts,” he continued. “I can’t say that the situation is ideal, but at the same time, I can’t say that it’s very negative, because for moments I was playing good. I think that two matches is going to help me. I need to win couple of matches. But the level was not that bad, putting in perspective that I arrived needing a little bit more time.

“I’m going to try hard these two weeks to be physically better,” he later added. “In terms of tennis, probably playing sets and practising for the next two weeks with good guys, I think that can help me to be more consistent. That’s what I’m going to look for. It’s just the beginning, and honestly, I am not too alarmed, too negative about what happened. I think there was a real chance to lose these kind of matches… I had my chance against two great players, not able to convert it. That says that I have an important room to improve, and I really believe that I can do it. I was very close to win against two great players.”

While Nadal’s singles work is done in Sydney, Team Spain still has one more day of play on Tuesday. The World No. 2 plans to do some sight-seeing on Wednesday before heading to Melbourne to begin his Australian Open preparations in earnest.