On Saturday in Australia, the semifinals of the inaugural United Cup will conclude in Sydney. Each semifinal will feature two singles matches on Saturday, as well as what could be a deciding mixed doubles match.
After Friday’s action, the United States leads Poland 2-0 thanks to Jessica Pegula’s surprising domination of World No.1 Iga Swiatek. In the other semifinal, Italy leads Greece 2-0 thanks to another WTA upset, as Martina Trevisan outlasted Maria Sakkari in a dramatic, over three-hour affair. So both Poland and Greece need to win all three of their matches on Saturday to reach the final, while the United States and Italy only need to win one.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most prominent matches on the schedule. Saturday’s play gets underway at 10:00am local time.
Hubert Hurkacz [POL] vs. Taylor Fritz [USA] – Starts at 10:00am
This will be the first match of the day, with Hurkacz needing to prevail to keep Poland’s advancement hopes alive. Hubi went 2-1 in round robin play, defeating Alexander Bublik and Stan Wawrinka, but losing to Matteo Berrettini. Fritz also went 2-1, defeating Jiri Lehecka and Sascha Zverev, but losing to Cam Norrie.
These players have split two previous meetings. Four years ago on the grass of Eastbourne, Fritz prevailed in straight sets. Just two months later on a hard court in Canada, Hurkacz prevailed in straight sets.
The fast-playing courts in Sydney suit both players’ styles, so I’m not convinced it will give either player a decided advantage. But in a crucial semifinal matchup, I give Fritz the slight edge based on these players’ 2022 seasons. Taylor was the better big match player last year, going 3-0 in finals, and reaching the second week of two Majors. Hurkacz went 1-1 in finals, and only 5-4 at Slams. Even if Hurkacz can prevail, Poland’s Magda Linette is a considerable underdog against Madison Keys later in the day.
Stefanos Tsitsipas [GRE] vs. Matteo Berrettini [ITA] – Not Before 5:00pm
This will be the first match of the day in this semifinal tie, which Tsitsipas needs to win to keep Greece’s advancement hopes alive. Both players went 3-0 during round robin play. Tsitsipas survived two extended three-setters, against Grigor Dimitrov and Borna Coric, while Berrettini required three sets against Hurkacz.
Tsitsipas is 2-0 against Berrettini, having beat him four years ago at the Australian Open, as well as two years ago on clay in Rome. Stefanos also defeated Matteo six years ago in US Open qualifying, a result that is not officially considered in their head-to-head.
However, the court speed in Sydney gives Berrettini a significant edge. Through his first three matches, he claimed over 80% of his first serve points, and was only broken twice. If the Italian can continue bombing his first serve and forehand, while successfully utilizing what appears to be an improved backhand, Matteo is the favorite to clinch this semifinal tie for Italy.
The United Cup daily schedule is here.
