SYDNEY, Dec 29:Taylor Fritz and Madison Keys gave the United States a 2-0 lead over Czech Republic at the new United Cup mixed teams tournament on Thursday.
Fritz broke Jiri Lehecka’s serve in the ninth game of the second set and went on to beat the Czech player 6-3, 6-4. Keys followed that up with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Marie Bouzkova in the next Group C match at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.
Two singles matches one men’s and one women’s -will be played over each of two days, with a mixed doubles to conclude the five-match encounter on the second day.
Britain lead 2-0 over Australia
Cameron Norrie and Katie Swan notched straight-set wins on Day 1 at the United Cup to give Britain a 2-0 lead over Australia in Group D, here on Thursday.No.14 Norrie opened the tie with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Alex de Minaur and No.145 Swan extended Team GB’s lead with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Zoe Hives. With the win, Norrie leveled his ATP Head to Head series against De Minaur at 1-1, having lost their first encounter last season in Barcelona.
With a 1-0 cushion, Swan continued her recent form to score the 15th win in her last 17 matches. Facing No.772 Hives, Swan raced out to a 4-1 lead in the first set before holding off an inspired comeback attempt from the Australian.
The second set saw Hives leap out to a surprising 3-0 lead before Swan’s superior consistency triggered a six-game run to seal the win.Great Britain can now seal the tie with a win on Friday. Harriet Dart can secure the tie when she faces Ajla Tomljanovic, with Daniel Evans to face Jason Kubler in the final singles match.
In other results, the Italy-Brazil match-up at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena was level at 1-1 after the first day. Beatriz Haddad Maia gave Brazil a 1-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Martina Trevisan before Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti beat Felipe Meligeni Alves 6-3, 6-4. (AP)
