Tennis News

Hewitt no regrets about De Minaur sitting out decisive United Cup mixed doubles

Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt had not regrets about resting Alex de Minaur in the decisive mixed doubles against Poland in the United Cup quarter-finals Friday night in Sydney.

After his two-hour, 18 minute victory over Hubert Hurkacz to send the tie to a deciding mixed doubles, de Minaur did not front up for mixed with Storm Hunter, like he did when Australia needed the mixed point to beat Czechia Tuesday to advance through the group stages.

Hunter teamed with John-Patrick Smith in a 6-4, 6-0 defeat to Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa.

“Alex was feeling a few tweaks the last few days,” Hewitt said. “He’s been doing a lot of training in the off-season to get ready for five-set matches. We decided the best thing for his body moving forward was not to put his hand up to play mixed tonight.

“Also, if you are that second match, to turn around straightaway and switch on. You just don’t want to risk injury as well at certain times, especially the amount of moving he had to do tonight against a bloody quality player out there.”

De Minaur produced a heroic performance in the singles, saving nine break points across his first four service games before going on a streak of winning 21 consecutive points on serve through the late stages of the second set.

He won 82 per cent of first serves for the match, a vast improvement from 55 per cent and eight double faults in a scrappy opening-tie loss to Casper Ruud earlier in the tournament.

“I think what was a little bit strange for me was the amount of double-faults,” de Minaur said. “That’s something I don’t normally hit. Obviously that was what felt like an anomaly. We got back to the practice court, just worked on a couple things, a couple different feels.

“I’m very happy with my serving performance the following two matches, kind of showing all the work that I put in. Of course, if I can land first serves and play with a lot of first serves, it makes my life a whole lot easier. Makes me definitely a more dangerous opponent.”

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Wawrinka handed Australian Open wildcard in final season

Stan Wawrinka receives an Australian Open wildcard as he begins the final season of his career, but Australian Nick Kyrgios misses out.

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Gritty De Minaur sends Australia-Poland United Cup QF to mixed doubles

Australia’s Alex de Minaur produced one of the grittiest opening-set performances of his career Friday night in Sydney to set up a 6-4, 4-6 6-4 win over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz and send the last United Cup quarter-final to a deciding mixed doubles.

The World No. 6 saved all nine break points he faced across his first four service games – including four in the second game of the match – to keep Australia alive after former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek brushed aside Aussie teen Maya Joint 6-1, 6-1.

“Nights like these… these are just the best,” De Minaur said. “I love playing here. The atmosphere from the first ball to the last was amazing.

“I just had to fight him off from the first point to the last. It was a huge mental effort and we’re still alive. I’m glad I was able to bounce back after losing that second set. I had some dark thoughts in my head.”

The tie will now be decided by the mixed doubles, with the winner advancing to Saturday night’s semi-final against defending champion United States. None of the four singles players will compete in the mixed doubles. Australians John-Patrick Smith and Storm Hunter will take on Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa.

Playing his first tournament since last year’s grass season, Hurkcaz was near untouchable in his first three service games when he dropped just one point on serve. But growing increasingly frustrated by his inability to cash in on his chances in return games, his unforced error count ticked up in the closing stages of the set.

After De Minaur saved three break points to level at 4-4, the 26-year-old claimed the decisive break and then won 21 consecutive points on serve before unexpectedly dropping serve at the end of the second set.

But inspired by deafening roars from Aussie fans inside Ken Rosewall Arena, De Minaur went into lockdown mode with just two unforced errors in the final set en route to his eighth victory in 11 United Cup singles appearances.

Earlier, Swiatek overpowered Australia rising star Joint, capturing a convincing 6-1, 6-1 win in just 57 minutes at the United Cup quarterfinals.

From start to finish, the World No. 2’s experience prevailed as the Swiatek earned her second career win over Joint: Swiatek won 6-0, 6-2 in the Seoul semifinals, a tournament she’d go on to win. Swiatek also earned her 15th singles win at the United Cup.

“I think the intensity — the balls get quite heavy so I’m happy that I was always pushing forward,” Swiatek said on court. “I got pretty confident at the end so for sure it was a good match.”

Joint held serve to have an initial 1-0 lead, but after, the Swiatek show ensued. The six-time Grand Slam champion overwhelmingly controlled the rallies, often forcing Joint to scramble from side-to-side just to keep the rally alive.

Swiatek won six straight games to win the first set with a breadstick in 26 minutes and had garnered “Iga” chants from her Polish supporters early on into the match. Her set point, a cross-court forehand winner that sped past an outstretched Joint, summed up the match best.

In the second, Swiatek and Joint traded holds, the latter of which earned some encouragement from the home crowd. Similarly, Swiatek recaptured the lead with a break, and didn’t look back, en route to the double breadstick win.

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Sabalenka beats Keys to reach Brisbane semi-final

World number one Aryna Sabalenka continues her Australian Open preparations by beating Madison Keys to reach the Brisbane semi-finals.

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United Cup schedule update: Saturday start brought forward

The start time for Saturday’s play at the United Cup has been brought forward.

With high temperatures forecast for Saturday 10 January in the afternoon, the start time of the Belgium-Switzerland Day Session semi-final will begin at 10 a.m. Previously, the tie was scheduled for 10:30 a.m.

Gates and arena doors will open from 9 a.m.

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Wawrinka receives Australian Open wild card

Australian Open tournament organisers announced Friday that they have awarded Stan Wawrinka a main draw wild card into the season’s first major.

The Swiss star has made a good start to his year, helping Switzerland to the semi-finals of the United Cup. His country will play Belgium Saturday for a spot in the final of the mixed-teams event.

Wawrinka owns a 43-18 record at the Australian Open according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. In 2014, he won his first major title at Melbourne Park, beating Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal en route to the trophy.

This will be the 20th time Wawrinka competes in singles at the Australian Open. Last year he fell in four tight sets in the first round to Lorenzo Sonego.

The No. 156 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has missed just one edition of the tournament since 2006 and has advanced to at least the quarter-finals five times. The 40-year-old recently announced that 2026 will be his last year competing on the ATP Tour.

Read Feature: Why Wawrinka’s last dance will be more salsa than slow waltz

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Tournament chiefs admit errors after wildcard's dire display goes viral

The organisers of a professional women’s tournament which has gone viral because of a wildcard player’s poor performance acknowledge she should not have been allowed to play.

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De Minaur braces for Hurkacz test in United Cup QF

Will Alex de Minaur be the next player caught in Hubert Hurkacz’s United Cup serving barrage when the pair meets in Sydney on Friday?

The 28-year-old Pole has made an emphatic return from a seven-month injury layoff, firing 21 aces in each of his two-set wins over World No. 3 Alexander Zverev and Tallon Griekspoor. Backed by teammate Iga Swiatek — who has also won both of her singles matches — Team Poland, two-time defending runner-up, has surged into its third straight quarter-final.

Standing in their way is home favourite Team Australia, spearheaded by De Minaur and 19-year-old rising star Maya Joint. The tie gets underway with the women’s singles at 5:30 p.m. local time.

De Minaur can draw confidence from his 2-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head edge over Hurkacz, including a win in their most recent meeting at Indian Wells last year. Since then, Hurkacz has undergone knee surgery and is competing as the No. 85 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but his performances in Sydney have underlined why he is a former Top 10 player.

After reaching the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals in November, De Minaur opened his 2026 campaign with a straight-sets loss to Casper Ruud. He quickly rebounded against Czechia, however, pulling double duty to propel Australia into the quarter-finals. Hurkacz is well aware of the challenge ahead.

“Alex has been very successful in the past years,” Hurkacz said of De Minaur, who is at a career-high World No. 6. “He’s really quick, moves around the court incredibly well. It’s going to be a good challenge, especially with the Aussie crowd. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I’m excited for the match.”

Ace machine 😮‍💨

Of course Hubi gets our @Nexo #serveoftheday!#nexo pic.twitter.com/8tQYNUTm1d

— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 7, 2026

Swiatek needed just 66 minutes to dispatch Joint in their only previous meeting in Seoul last September, but the six-time major champion is not taking anything for granted. While the Australian teenager will enjoy strong home support, Swiatek may have won over a few local fans with her glowing assessment of Sydney following her three-set win against Eva Lys on Monday.

“I love being here,” Swiatek said. “I could honestly live here — I love Sydney. I wasn’t sure, but I think it’s becoming my favourite city in the whole world. I really have fun here.”

If the singles matches are split, the tie will be decided by a mixed doubles rubber.

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Mmoh summons deja-vu in Khachanov upset, Bublik wins in Hong Kong

Michael Mmoh continued his statement start to 2026 on Thursday at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, where he upset familiar foe Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 7-6(4) to reach the quarter-finals.

The American qualifier notched just two wins on the ATP Tour in 2025, but with his straight-sets victory over the fourth-seeded Khachanov, he has already matched that number in the first week of the new season. It marked Mmoh’s first win over a Top 20 opponent since 2023, when he also moved past Khachanov at the US Open.

Moving on! 💪

Michael Mmoh takes out Khachanov 7-6 7-6 to advance in Hong Kong.#BOCHKTO2026 pic.twitter.com/0vdC3atkEk

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 8, 2026

“Funnily enough, my first ITF junior win was against Karen Khachanov, so we’ve been battling from the age of 14,” said Mmoh, who now leads World No. 17 Khachanov 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “He’s a great guy who’s had an unbelievable career, so just to share the court with him, I knew I needed to play at the highest level possible.”

Mmoh, the No. 285 in the PIF ATP Rankings, failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, but regrouped in a tidy tie-break to advance to his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final. The 27-year-old will next face countryman Marcos Giron, who earlier upset seventh seed and defending champion Alexandre Muller 6-4, 7-6(4).

Earlier, Chinese lefty Shang Juncheng became the first player to reach all three Hong Kong quarter-finals since the ATP 250 returned in 2024. The 20-year-old hit 24 winners in his 6-3, 6-4 victory over fifth seed Lorenzo Sonego.

Shang, who missed six months of the 2025 season due to a foot injury, will next face second seed Alexander Bublik, who opened his 2026 with a laser-focused 6-3, 6-3 win over Botic van de Zandschulp.

Bublik finished 2025 with a 30-9 record since Roland Garros, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by titles in Halle, Gstaad and Kitzbuehel. Now at a career-high World No. 11, the Kazakhstani doesn’t seem to want to let that form slip as he starts his 2026 quest.

“We tried many things before arriving here,” Bublik said of his preseason. “You never know what’s going to happen [in the first match]. We chose a tactic, we stuck to it, and I played well, so I’m really happy with the way I performed.”

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Bergs battles past Mensik, Mertens sends Belgium to United Cup SFs

Belgium advanced to the United Cup semi-finals for the first time on Thursday after Zizou Bergs and Elise Mertens recorded singles victories over their Czech opponents to secure an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Belgium will face Switzerland in the semi-finals, while the United States will meet the winner of the Friday quarter-final between Australia and Poland.

After earning the biggest win of his career against Felix Auger-Aliassime in group play, Bergs beat Jakub Mensik 6-2, 7-6(4). The Belgian entered the event with a 2-16 mark against Top-20 opponents, but has now won two in a row after defeating Mensik in one hour and 40 minutes.

The 26-year-old was unable to serve out the match with two opportunities to do so, but was ultimately able to cross the finish line.

“First of all, I didn’t even know I was 5-4 up and then I got broken and I was 5-5,” Bergs said. “And then I break back and you just want to finish, you’re so close, you’re playing big points. I got tight, I go backwards, I play defensive. so it was a very big struggle in the end. I’m so happy for myself and the team.”

Towards the end of the match, Bergs began playing more conservatively as the pressure to claim victory mounted. Suddenly balls he had been striking with authority, he was pulling off of, allowing the Czech to impose his own will.

Mensik benefitted from a ball that hit the net and barely bounced over to earn his first service break of the match and remain alive. He then claimed another break at 5-6 with a big backhand up the line, but was unable to force a decider.

Mertens faced a tough test against two-time major singles champion Barbora Krejcikova. But after exchanging early breaks in the third, both players held serve until Mertens struck in the 11th game and held to close out a 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 victory in two hours, 33 minutes.

“I had to adjust my game in the second set,” Mertens said in an on-court interview. “I needed to play a little more aggressively, and I’m happy I was able to do that. Being up 1-0, I could play freely because of Zizou, and we’re so happy to be in the semi-finals.”

Mertens and Krejcikova, both former WTA World No. 1 doubles players, played a tight opening set in which the Czech broke serve for the first time in the 11th game before serving out the set 7-5. The 30-year-old Belgian, ranked No. 19, responded strongly in the second set, breaking twice to claim it 6-1 and force a deciding set.

Mertens’ serve proved decisive — she fired 12 aces and committed just three double faults, while Krejcikova finished with six aces and 10 double faults. Mertens converted 80 per cent of her break-point opportunities compared with 20 per cent for the Czech.

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