United Cup: Team GB thwarts quarterfinal hopes for Australia

Australia defeats Great Britain 2-1 in the United Cup's final round robin stages but falls short of a quarterfinal appearance.

Sydney, Australia , 1 January 2025 | AAP

Great Britain has eliminated Australia from the United Cup, but Katie Boulter may have mixed feelings about twisting the knife for the victors.

Alex de Minaur’s fiancee starred for Team GB, overcoming Olivia Gadecki 6-2 6-1 in the opening women’s singles match to leave Australia on the brink at Ken Rosewall Arena.

Australia had entered Wednesday night’s tie needing to win 3-0 to top Group F and secure a path to the quarterfinals.

Instead Team GB automatically advanced following Boulter’s one-sided victory.

A 2-1 triumph could still have been enough for the tournament hosts to progress as the best runners-up out of Sydney, but only if Australia dropped a total of no more than seven games in the men’s singles and mixed doubles.

Gadecki and De Minaur close out the win for Team Australia in the deciding mixed doubles 6-3 7-6(3) ????????

Falling short of progressing by the narrowest of margins, the duo still made sure it was a night to remember in Sydney!

Final group standings ???? https://t.co/iKc9wGWJqp pic.twitter.com/o062LKpf6O

— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 1, 2025

De Minaur lived up to his end of the bargain by matching Boulter’s winning 6-2 6-1 scoreline against world No.125 Billy Harris, scrapping for every single point like his life depended on it.

De Minaur conceded only one game from 2-2 in the opening set to, as he put it, give Australia a “fighting chance”.

The world No.9 showed no sign of the hip injury that dogged his second half of 2024, as evident with one miraculous winning lob after displaying extraordinary foot speed to even reach a Harris drop shop early in the second set.

“This was the old me. I’ve got my legs back, everybody. I’m back,” he told  the Sydney crowd.

Keep watching for the best thing you’ve seen all year ???? ???? @alexdeminaur | @UnitedCupTennis pic.twitter.com/y6k8tuc4ZR

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 1, 2025

De Minaur’s spirited display left Australia needing to win the deciding mixed doubles without dropping any more than four games to edge out Czechia for a last-eight spot at the season-opening event.

Boulter had featured in Great Britain’s mixed doubles win over Argentina on Monday but, a week after announcing her Christmas-time engagement to de Minaur, the world No.24 opted out this time around.

“I feel like I’ve actually lost a lot of sleep recently over the thought of playing my fiancee in doubles,” she said after her singles romp.

“So I’m so tired and just very happy to get through this rubber. I’m not  going to lie.”

While Boulter rested up, De Minaur happily answered captain Lleyton Hewitt’s call to step up after Paris Olympics gold medallist Matt Ebden and Ellen Perez surprisingly lost to Argentinian pair Maria Lourdes Carle and Tomas Etcheverry on Saturday.

Alas, after taking the first set 6-3 against Olivia Nicholls and Charles Broom, De Minaur and Gadecki were unable to deny their opponents more than one game as required to advance.

They had to settle for a 6-3 7-6(3) win to seal the tie, if not a quarterfinals spot.

Perversely, it would have been in Britain and Boulter’s best interests if Australia progressed as the best runners-up from Sydney instead of Czechia.

Under the tournament rules, two teams cannot play each other two days in a row.

So because Czechia played Poland – and lost 2-1 – on Wednesday, they will play Italy on Friday night instead of Great Britain getting a day’s rest as group winners.

Now Boulter must back up and face Poland’s world No.2 Iga Swiatek on Thursday night.

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