Elena Rybakina marked her United Cup debut by serving to Kazakhstan to a 2-1 win over Spain within the season opener in Perth, Australia.
The 25-year-old, a former Wimbledon champion in 2022, beat Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2 6-3 to stage the match after Pablo Carreno Busta beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-2 6-1 to offer Spain the lead.
Rybakina, seeded sixth on the planet, then partnered Shevchenko in a 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (2-7) 10-7 victory over Carreno Busta and Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers within the combined doubles .
Nice Britain start their marketing campaign towards Argentina on Monday, earlier than going through Australia on Wednesday.
Kazakhstan will advance to the quarter-finals of the 18-nation event in the event that they beat Greece of their second Group C match on Monday.
Rybakina, who was taking part in for the primary time since working with fellow Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic as her new coach, mentioned: “The primary match is at all times tough.
“It isn’t straightforward to get used to it [to it] It is too early, however I am pleased with the way in which I performed in the present day.”
The third version of the United Cup runs till 5 January 2025, with matches happening in Perth and Sydney.
Workforce GB’s match towards Australia will see British ladies’s high seed Katie Boulter tackle her love curiosity Alex de Minaur. The couple introduced their engagement earlier this week.
The Australian Open, the primary Grand Slam of the season, begins on Sunday, 12 January.
Supply hyperlink
