Editor's Note: Taylor Fritz sealed the United States' place in the United Cup final on Saturday. They will next play Italy or Greece, with the former leading their Final Four tie 2-0.
Top-seeded Greece is surprisingly down 2-0 to Italy after Martina Trevisan and Lorenzo Musetti won their singles matches. Trevisan was a 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-5 winner over World No. 6 Maria Sakkari in a contest that ran three hours, 15 minutes. Musetti scored a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Stefanos Sakellaridis.
Here’s how Saturday’s matches — two singles contests and a potential mixed doubles decider — shape up:
One week in, Italian captain Vincenzo Santopadre is starting to run out of material for his United Cup press conferences.
“Of course I have to say the same thing that I said last two, three matches, but I’m really super, super happy about this,” he said after his team bolted to a 2-0 lead. “We know that we have a strong group, but I think we have unbelievable players, because they are helping each other so much.”
It falls to World No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas to keep Greece alive, but he’s facing a major threat in Matteo Berrettini. Tsitsipas has won their two previous ATP Head2Head matches.
Despina Papamichail has a 1-0 record against Lucia Bronzetti — but that victory came five years ago at an ITF event.
If Greece can level the tie, it would all come down to a mixed doubles match between Tsitsipas and Sakkari and the Italian team of Camilla Rosatello and Musetti.
Saturday, Jan. 7
Ken Rosewall Arena, not before 5 p.m.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) / Head to head: Tsitsipas, 2-0
Despina Papamichail (GRE) vs. Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) / Head to head: Papamichail, 1-0
Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Camilla Rosatello and Lorenzo Musetti, to follow
Top-seeded Greece is surprisingly down 2-0 to Italy after Martina Trevisan and Lorenzo Musetti won their singles matches. Trevisan was a 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-5 winner over World No. 6 Maria Sakkari in a contest that ran three hours, 15 minutes. Musetti scored a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Stefanos Sakellaridis.
Here’s how Saturday’s matches — two singles contests and a potential mixed doubles decider — shape up:
Italy 2, Greece 0
One week in, Italian captain Vincenzo Santopadre is starting to run out of material for his United Cup press conferences.
“Of course I have to say the same thing that I said last two, three matches, but I’m really super, super happy about this,” he said after his team bolted to a 2-0 lead. “We know that we have a strong group, but I think we have unbelievable players, because they are helping each other so much.”
It falls to World No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas to keep Greece alive, but he’s facing a major threat in Matteo Berrettini. Tsitsipas has won their two previous ATP Head2Head matches.
Despina Papamichail has a 1-0 record against Lucia Bronzetti — but that victory came five years ago at an ITF event.
If Greece can level the tie, it would all come down to a mixed doubles match between Tsitsipas and Sakkari and the Italian team of Camilla Rosatello and Musetti.
Saturday, Jan. 7
Ken Rosewall Arena, not before 5 p.m.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) / Head to head: Tsitsipas, 2-0
Despina Papamichail (GRE) vs. Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) / Head to head: Papamichail, 1-0
Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Camilla Rosatello and Lorenzo Musetti, to follow