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Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz brought their seamless form from 2024 to the new season as they propelled the USA to second United Cup titles. Team USA overcame Poland in the final to claim the championship which they last won in 2023, in the inaugural season. The defeated side saw Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz tackling against Gauff and Fritz in the singles event. Gauff improved her head-to-head record over Swiatek as she clinched her second straight win over the top-ranked Pole following the victory at WTA Finals last season.
Fritz and Gauff headline United Cup with commanding victories over Swiatek, Hurkacz
The top-seeded Americans clinched victory when Fritz edged past Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (4) after Gauff had earlier stunned Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 in Sydney. In a thrilling finale, Fritz elevated his performance in the deciding tiebreak, breaking away at 3-3 to close out the contest. Gauff had already set the tone with her commanding straight-sets victory over Swiatek at the Ken Rosewall Arena. Fritz then followed suit in a gripping, serve-dominated battle against Hurkacz that featured 30 aces, delivering a hard-fought 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 win.
The Americans began their campaign in Perth, where they dominated Group A as the top seed. Both Gauff and Fritz carried the momentum from their standout 2024 seasons into the tournament. Gauff capped her previous year with a title win at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where she also defeated Swiatek, while Fritz reached the final of the Nitto ATP Finals. Gauff, who completed the United Cup without dropping a set, starts 2025 ranked No.3 in the WTA Rankings. Meanwhile, Fritz, now at a career-high No.4 in the ATP Rankings, rebounded from an early loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime in Perth to win four consecutive matches.
In a high-stakes clash between two of the world’s top players, Gauff once again outplayed Swiatek, replicating her success from Riyadh. The victory also narrows Swiatek’s head-to-head dominance, which previously stood at 11 wins from 13 matches. Gauff opened the first set with an early break, executing a flawless forehand volley to lead 2-0. Swiatek responded with three consecutive games to take a 3-2 lead, but her 19 unforced errors compared to Gauff’s nine allowed the American to win four of the next five games, sealing a physically demanding first set. Gauff maintained her momentum in the second set, recovering from a double fault. The victory marked an undefeated United Cup singles debut for Gauff, who also defeated Leylah Fernandez, Donna Vekic, Zhang Shuai, and Karolina Muchova during the tournament. Swiatek, who ended with a 4-1 record, recorded wins against Malena Helgø, Muchova, Katie Boulter, and Elena Rybakina.