After the briefest of offseasons, tennis is back. Team USA opened its play against Team Canada at the United Cup in Perth, Australia. Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz represented Team USA. Fritz is a United Cup veteran, but this is Gauff’s first time in the competition. She normally played the ASB Classic but skipped it in 2025 despite being the two-time defending champion.
The United Cup pits two countries against each other in a round-robin format. There are women’s singles, men’s singles, and mixed doubles. It is a best-of-three set and three-match format, so mixed doubles are only played if the previous matches are split.
Fast & furious 🔥@CocoGauff gets Team USA up and running vs Team Canada with a 6-3 6-2 win over Fernandez#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/3Kx3kIBDRe
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) December 29, 2024
That turned out to be the case for USA vs. Canada. Coco Gauff picked up where she left off as the 2024 WTA Finals champion by defeating Leylah Fernandez 6-3 6-2. Taylor Fritz took the court against Felix Auger-Aliassime (FAA). Despite taking the first set, Fritz lost the final two sets and the match 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, forcing the highly anticipated mixed doubles match.
Fernandez and FAA play a lot of mixed doubles together. Gauff and Fritz are relatively new partners; the Paris Olympics was their first big event. Gauff is a superior doubles player. Her athleticism and net game, honed from years of playing with Jessica Pegula, are outstanding. Fritz can also play well and is an analytical talkative partner.
Gauff and Fritz won the highly competitive mixed doubles match 7-6, 7-5. Fritz admitted that he was relieved to get Team USA the win after losing his singles match. He thanked Gauff for carrying the team.
A stunning display 🇺🇸
Fritz/Gauff clinch the North American derby with a 7-6 7-5 win over Fernandez/Auger-Aliassime and Canada#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/xPw7I3aRlL
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) December 29, 2024
Team USA played into the early hours of December 30 in Australia. They will take the court on December 31 against Team Croatia led by Donna Vekic and Borna Coric.
