Britain and Spain earn United Cup wins on opening day in Australia

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Kati Boulter and Cameron Norrie helped Britain beat host Australia 2-1 on the opening day of the United Cup whereas Spain received the decisive blended doubles to edge Brazil 2-1 on Friday.

Combined groups from 18 nations are enjoying in Perth and Sydney in what doubles as a warmup for the Australian Open. The format is a males’s and ladies’s singles match and a blended doubles.

Boulter gave Britain a decisive 2-0 lead within the opening Group C match in Perth when she beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2, 6-4. Norrie earlier silenced a packed dwelling crowd by defeating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2).

“I actually needed to dig deep and play very courageous in that third set,” Norrie mentioned. “It’s at all times powerful enjoying Alex. He is an efficient good friend of mine and we at all times have battles. I knew I must run quite a bit and I did. It was an awesome ambiance.”

Matthew Ebden and Storm Hunter gave Australia a comfort win within the blended doubles towards Boulter and Neal Skupski.

Earlier within the opening Group A match in Perth, Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Sara Sorribes Tormo received the decisive blended doubles towards Brazilian pair Beatriz Haddad Maia and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 7-5.

Haddad Maia had crushed Sorribes Tormo 7-6 (1), 6-2 after Davidovich Fokina dispatched Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-4, 6-0.

Girls’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek is representing Poland, and males’s No. 1 Novak Djokovic is main Serbia.

Serbia will tackle China on Sunday in Perth and the Czech Republic on Tuesday within the group stage, with Djokovic set to face 58th-ranked Zhang Zhizhen and No. 31 Jiri Lehecka in his singles.

Djokovic received three Grand Slam singles titles this 12 months, lacking out on solely Wimbledon. He is getting ready to attempt to win the Australian Open for a record-extending eleventh time.

On his arrival in Perth, he reiterated he has no plans to retire.

“I hope it’s not (the) final (time), to be trustworthy. I imply I at all times look ahead coming again to Australia,” Djokovic mentioned. “I at all times felt like I performed my greatest tennis through the years (right here) and had nice help.”

Djokovic final visited Perth in 2013 when he performed on the Hopman Cup.

“I keep in mind each single time I performed in Perth it was nice attendance, individuals love tennis, individuals love sport in Australia normally,” he mentioned. “I don’t count on something much less this time, and I’m certain it’s going to be a blast for all of us.”