A remarkable third-set comeback from Borna Gojo sealed a dramatic United Cup win for Croatia on Tuesday in Perth, where the World No. 144 edged Adrian Mannarino 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(5) to secure his nation a City Finals clash against Team Greece.
The pressure was on Gojo after World No. 4 Caroline Garcia had defeated Petra Martic in straight sets to reduce Team France’s deficit in the decisive Group F tie to 1-2, but the 24-year-old was ice cool under pressure in two tie-breaks to prevail against an opponent who is 98 places above him in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Some huge serving ensured Gojo retained a foothold in the rubber as Mannarino became the dominant player in the second and third sets, but the Frenchman failed to serve out for the match at 5-3 in the decider and Gojo’s newfound momentum took him to three match points in the 12th game.
Mannarino stayed typically calm to save them all, but Gojo was not to be denied as he opened up an ultimately unassailable 5/1 lead in the tie-break en route to a two-hour, 50-minute victory in which he fired 14 aces.
“I don't know [how I won],” said Gojo after the match. “No real answer. I just tried to take the support from the team and take the energy. I was a bit down in the third, and thanks to them, I won. Without them I would have lost.”
Team Croatia captain Iva Majoli was delighted to secure victory in the tie with one match to spare after Mannarino had come within a game of taking the Group F encounter the distance.
“We knew that 2-0 is a big lead and put more pressure on France today,” said Majoli. “But we knew every match was going to be tough today. They had their top players playing, and very open matches. I mean, it could have gone both ways. Mixed, you never know. They were probably a little bit favourites in the mixed.
“I'm always very positive, and I always believe in the players, even sometimes when we are underdogs, I feel positive. It was the same today. Petra was very close, but then Borna just played amazing and closed the match.”
The WTA Finals champion Garcia had earlier defeated Martic in a must-win rubber to keep France's hopes of advancing to the City Finals alive. Garcia came into her clash with Martic with a promising 4-1 head-to-head record. The WTA Finals champion backed that up, extending it to 5-1 with a 7-6(9), 6-4 victory as she denied Martic the chance to clinch for her team.
Fittingly for a contest between two of the best servers on Tour, the first set went down to the wire and was decided by the thinnest of margins. Through the first 12 games, it was Martic who carved out more chances on return, deploying her sliced backhand to fine effect — including on one lofted lob that left Garcia flailing.
Garcia needed her finest serves to save break points in the first and ninth games; by contrast, despite serving second, Martic conceded only four points behind her delivery through the first 12 games.
The ensuing tie-break was a thrilling microcosm of the match as a whole. Momentum shifted back and forth between the pair, and Garcia needed to save one set point at 6/7 before converting her fifth by putting away a short forehand.
Garcia still had to stave off a further two break points at the start of the second set, but that was her last moment of danger. In the next game, she broke Martic to love, sealing the game by rushing forwards off her return and finding a volley winner that clipped the net on its way into the open court.
The Frenchwoman, who fired seven aces among her 33 total winners, would only drop four more points on serve as she maintained her lead through the end of the match.
"It was a very tough match," assessed Garcia. "I was expecting a tough battle against Petra — we played a couple of times in 2022, and it's always going to be a battle of serves, and who can be the most aggressive. The first set was some great tennis, especially the intensity of the tie-break — that was a crazy scenario. I'm just pleased I was able to stay very calm and focused, one point at a time, even after I did some easy mistakes."
The pressure was on Gojo after World No. 4 Caroline Garcia had defeated Petra Martic in straight sets to reduce Team France’s deficit in the decisive Group F tie to 1-2, but the 24-year-old was ice cool under pressure in two tie-breaks to prevail against an opponent who is 98 places above him in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Some huge serving ensured Gojo retained a foothold in the rubber as Mannarino became the dominant player in the second and third sets, but the Frenchman failed to serve out for the match at 5-3 in the decider and Gojo’s newfound momentum took him to three match points in the 12th game.
Mannarino stayed typically calm to save them all, but Gojo was not to be denied as he opened up an ultimately unassailable 5/1 lead in the tie-break en route to a two-hour, 50-minute victory in which he fired 14 aces.
“I don't know [how I won],” said Gojo after the match. “No real answer. I just tried to take the support from the team and take the energy. I was a bit down in the third, and thanks to them, I won. Without them I would have lost.”
Team Croatia captain Iva Majoli was delighted to secure victory in the tie with one match to spare after Mannarino had come within a game of taking the Group F encounter the distance.
“We knew that 2-0 is a big lead and put more pressure on France today,” said Majoli. “But we knew every match was going to be tough today. They had their top players playing, and very open matches. I mean, it could have gone both ways. Mixed, you never know. They were probably a little bit favourites in the mixed.
“I'm always very positive, and I always believe in the players, even sometimes when we are underdogs, I feel positive. It was the same today. Petra was very close, but then Borna just played amazing and closed the match.”
The WTA Finals champion Garcia had earlier defeated Martic in a must-win rubber to keep France's hopes of advancing to the City Finals alive. Garcia came into her clash with Martic with a promising 4-1 head-to-head record. The WTA Finals champion backed that up, extending it to 5-1 with a 7-6(9), 6-4 victory as she denied Martic the chance to clinch for her team.
Fittingly for a contest between two of the best servers on Tour, the first set went down to the wire and was decided by the thinnest of margins. Through the first 12 games, it was Martic who carved out more chances on return, deploying her sliced backhand to fine effect — including on one lofted lob that left Garcia flailing.
Garcia needed her finest serves to save break points in the first and ninth games; by contrast, despite serving second, Martic conceded only four points behind her delivery through the first 12 games.
The ensuing tie-break was a thrilling microcosm of the match as a whole. Momentum shifted back and forth between the pair, and Garcia needed to save one set point at 6/7 before converting her fifth by putting away a short forehand.
Garcia still had to stave off a further two break points at the start of the second set, but that was her last moment of danger. In the next game, she broke Martic to love, sealing the game by rushing forwards off her return and finding a volley winner that clipped the net on its way into the open court.
The Frenchwoman, who fired seven aces among her 33 total winners, would only drop four more points on serve as she maintained her lead through the end of the match.
"It was a very tough match," assessed Garcia. "I was expecting a tough battle against Petra — we played a couple of times in 2022, and it's always going to be a battle of serves, and who can be the most aggressive. The first set was some great tennis, especially the intensity of the tie-break — that was a crazy scenario. I'm just pleased I was able to stay very calm and focused, one point at a time, even after I did some easy mistakes."