Coco Gauff powers US to United Cup semifinals with win over Greece

PERTH: The United States reached the semi-finals of the United Cup mixed-team tournament after defeating Greece 2-1 on Wednesday, with Coco Gauff securing victory for the defending champions in both singles and doubles.

Gauff put the US ahead with a commanding singles win before returning to the court to seal the tie in doubles.

The 21-year-old, a two-time Grand Slam champion, overcame Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 26 minutes.

Gauff had struggled earlier in the tournament, losing in three sets to world number 42 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro when the US faced Spain in Group A.

Against Sakkari, however, she started strongly, racing to a 5-0 lead. Despite a brief Greek fightback, winning three consecutive games, Gauff held her nerve to take the first set and broke Sakkari twice in the second to wrap up the victory.

Greece responded through Stefanos Tsitsipas, who defeated world number nine Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-5 to level the tie.

Tsitsipas had little time to celebrate his first top-10 win since 2024, returning just 30 minutes later with Sakkari for the doubles decider against Gauff and Christian Harrison. The match swung both ways, with each team taking a set, sending the contest into a match tiebreak.

The US surged to a 5-0 lead, only for the Greek pair to fight back to 6-6. Ultimately, a precise volley from Harrison between Tsitsipas’s legs sealed a 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 victory for the United States.

Gauff expressed her gratitude for her team’s support, which helped her recover from a tough earlier defeat and deliver a much-improved performance.

“Definitely a much better match today,” Gauff said in her on-court interview.

“Last match, I just tried to erase it. That’s the beauty of this tournament, having a team like Taylor [Fritz] and Christian [Harrison] who gave me the chance to stay in the tournament and prove myself. I’m definitely happy to give my team the lead today.”