PERTH/WASHINGTON, January 1, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
The fourth United Cup begins Friday in Perth and Saturday in Sydney – and there’s plenty of star power to be found in both Australian cities. The mixed-team event features 18 nations across six groups as well as 13 Top-20 players from the ATP and WTA Tours.
Groups A, C and E will compete in round-robin play in Perth, while groups B, D and F will play in Sydney. The three group winners and best runner-up in each city will advance to the quarterfinals. The semifinals and final will take place in Sydney, Jan. 10-11.
You heard them right
Day 1 kicks off in Perth tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/MR1csnbYrF
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 1, 2026
View the full list of countries competing, groups and team rosters
Defending champion United States returns as the top seed, led by World No. 3 Coco Gauff and World No. 6 Taylor Fritz, and is seeking its third title. No. 2 seed Poland features World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 72 Hubert Hurkacz, who will make his first appearance since last summer after his 2025 season was cut short due to a knee injury. World No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 40 Eva Lys of Germany will try to win their country’s second United Cup crown two years after winning their first one in 2024. Australia’s home hopes rest on the racquets of World No. 7 Alex de Minaur and No. 32 Maya Joint, and both Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Naomi Osaka of Japan are hoping to rebound from sub-par 2025 seasons.
Fritz has represented the Americans well in United Cup competition, compiling a 9-3 win-loss record since 2023, including victories over Zverev, Hurkacz and Matteo Berrettini of Italy. After Gauff defeated Swiatek, 6-4, 6-4, in last year’s title final in Sydney, she said afterward, “I have the belief that I’m one of the best players in the world. When I play good tennis I’m hard to beat.”
He’s HIM pic.twitter.com/3G3ykUhe4z
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 1, 2026
While Gauff isn’t likely to be tested in group play against Argentina’s 66th-ranked Solana Sierra or Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, who is ranked 41st, Fritz will face more challenging competition in No. 45 Sebastian Baez and No. 33 Jaume Munar.
Baez and Munar will face each other as well as Sierra against Bouzas Maneiro when Argentina and Spain kick off Group A play Friday morning in Perth.
Meanwhile, former World No. 3 Tsitsipas, whose ranking fell to No. 36 after going 22-16 in 2025, returns after shutting down his season last September to allow a back injury to properly heal.
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“I did spend some time recovering. I was absent from the courts for a long time,” Tsitsipas said at Team Greece’s pre-tournament news conference Thursday. Greece plays its first match against Japan Friday evening. “The last three or four tournaments of the season I could barely hold up. So it was important to try and find something that will bring me back again healthy.
“I did all the necessary actions and took all the necessary steps to rehabilitate and get back to what I remember myself being back at. So now so far I think it makes for great feedback, knowing that I’ve done my whole pre-season without any pain, without any discomfort. I’m just hoping that stays this way and I can deliver that starting with United Cup and hopefully for the 2026 season.”
Tsitsipas will face’s Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki, ranked 99th, in his first match of the season Friday evening in Group E play at RAC Arena in Perth.
“We’ve played here plenty of times. Perth seems like it’s becoming part of one of the biggest cities of Greece little by little,” said Tsitsipas, who will team with No. 52 Maria Sakkari in mixed doubles. “I’m glad that we’re back. It’s a great way to start the season. Couldn’t ask for anything better right now, honestly.”
Clocking in from Perth! ⏰#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/w7WbEobN8v
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 1, 2026
As for Osaka, whose ranking rose from No. 57 to No. 16 after going 35-15 last season, the Japanese superstar will make her United Cup debut against Sakkari. On Sunday afternoon, the four-time major champion faces Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu, ranked 29th. Osaka said during her team’s pre-tournament news conference Thursday that she’s looking forward to a fun week in Australia.
“I’ve always watched United Cup on the TV and I’ve wanted to play for a long time,” said Osaka, who toured Perth’s unique Rottnest Island in Western Australia earlier this week. “It’s such a good team atmosphere, which I really enjoy. It’s nice to have the opportunity to come back to Perth, where I played the Hopman Cup.”
The 28-year-0ld Osaka also spoke about her career since the birth of her daughter, Shai, in July 2023 and how she’s gained a new perspective on life.
“My mindset over my career has shifted a lot,” she said. “If you knew me before, you would know that for me, I would take everything so seriously. I would say my losses and my wins defined how I viewed my worth as a person.
“Now I’m just taking it like every day is a new opportunity to do better. But at the same time, I know that my only role, or my biggest role, isn’t a tennis player. It’s to be a mom to my daughter.”
Iconic @naomiosaka @WestAustralia #WAtheDreamState pic.twitter.com/eU3DGmvQ2z
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 31, 2025
Canada’s Auger-Aliassime, Mboko excited to play United Cup
On Saturday in Sydney, Group B play begins with Belgium against China followed by host Australia against Norway in Group D. However, one of the most exciting mixed-teams in the entire United Cup competition could be Canada, featuring World No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime and World No. 18 Victoria Mboko. A year ago, Mboko was ranked out the Top 300 in the PIF WTA Rankings. Now, she’s a Top-20 player after going 60-14 last year and winning her first WTA 1000 title in Montreal plus five ITF World Tennis Tour crowns.
“I’m really excited. This is my first time playing such an event and playing the whole Australia swing, so there are a lot of new experiences and so many new things to come,” said Mboko in advance of her team’s first tie against China on Sunday evening at Ken Rosewall Arena. She and the rest of Team Canada took time to visit the Sydney Zoo on Wednesday, where they interacted with kangaroos and koalas, both iconic Australian marsupials known for their pouches.
@felixtennis and Victoria Mboko visiting kangaroos at Sydney Zoo – no better way to prepare before the tennis @sydney_sider #feelnewsydney pic.twitter.com/QmDC2zHY49
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 31, 2025
“I’m excited to play United Cup,” Mboko added. “It’s a really fun event and to be here with Felix and the team, it’s really great.”
Auger-Aliassime, who won 50 singles matches last year and reached the year-end Nitto ATP Finals, said: “We actually won with our team [the ATP Cup] in Sydney a couple of years back, so it would be nice to get a win again.”
By the numbers
• Each United Cup session will be comprised of three matches: one men’s single match, one women’s singles match and one mixed doubles match. Both singles matches will feature the No. 1 ranked singles player from within each team.
• Singles matches are the best of three tie-break sets.
• Mixed doubles matches are the best of two tie-break sets with a deciding match tie-break (10 point) at one set all.
“Quotable …”
• “I’m really hoping each and every one of our teammates is ready and prepared for war. We are going big. We are fighters. We’re Greek, so we’re going to try to make the most out of it.”
– Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, during his team’s pre-tournament news conference Thursday.
• “For me, I think it’s my first United Cup, so I’m really excited and happy to be here with such an amazing team. Yeah, I’m just looking forward to our first match.”
– Naomi Osaka of Japan, during her team’s pre-tournament news conference Thursday.
