Alex de Minaur overcomes Rafael Nadal in three sets, wins for Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz at United Cup
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Updated 02/01/2023 at 15:07 GMT
Rafael Nadal has endured a tricky start to the 2023 season after another United Cup defeat, this time at the hands of Alex de Minaur. This follows on from his loss to Britain's Cameron Norrie on Saturday. Maddison Inglis could put Australia 2-0 ahead in the tie when she takes on Nuria Parrizas. Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek beat world No. 12 Belinda Bencic to give Poland a 1-0 lead over Switzerland.
'I need to keep fighting' - Nadal after latest defeat
Rafael Nadal succumbed to another defeat at the United Cup after losing to Alex de Minaur in three sets in Sydney.
It was a bruising loss for the world No. 2, who was also beaten by Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the mixed teams event on Saturday.
De Minaur managed to battle back impressively from a set-and-a-break down to record what is arguably the biggest victory of his career to date.
The 23-year-old showed plenty of quality in front of his home crowd in his first career victory over the Spaniard, in a match that lasted two hours and 44 minutes.
De Minaur eventually came out on top in this thrilling encounter by gaining a decisive break in the 11th game and holding his nerve to move Australia 1-0 in front against Spain in the overall scores.
Spain drew level though following a 6-1, 6-3 win for Nuria Parrizas-Diaz over Maddison Inglis.
Speaking after the victory, De Minaur said: "I think it's definitely up there [as one of my best wins]. It's one of those achievements that you have unlocked in your career. But also, it's a big win for myself, one that I really needed.
"I'm going to cherish and use it, take all the confidence from this and be able to hopefully take it to have a good Aussie summer.
"It's always a surreal experience playing here. Just walking out there and hearing the support I get on that court is pretty special. No secret [that] it is my favourite court to play on in front of friends and family. I've had so many great memories, and I've been able to add another one to it. I'm extremely stoked."
Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek blew away world No. 12 Belinda Bencic to give Poland a 1-0 lead over Switzerland, winning 6-3 7-6(3).
It was Swiatek's second career win over Bencic, who emerged victorious thanks largely to her faultless forehand game.
Speaking after the victory, she said: “I'm a perfectionist but I'm really happy with my performance today because Belinda is playing really fast, taking the ball really early, so it's a totally different rhythm. On this fast surface it's really, really hard."
The tie between Poland and Australia resumes on Tuesday when Hubert Hurkacz plays Stan Wawrinka and Magda Linette faces Jil Teichmann.
Greece and Belgium are tied at 1-1 after Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame David Goffin in straight sets, winning 6-3 6-2. However, Alison van Uytvanck put a point on the board for Belgium with a 7-5 2-6 6-3 win over Despina Papamichail.
Meanwhile, USA moved into a 2-0 lead against Germany following straight-sets victories for Taylor Fritz and Maddison Keys over Alexander Zverev and Jule Niemeier respectively.
Italy also raced into a 2-0 lead over Norway after Lorenze Musetti beat Viktor Durasovic in straight sets, winning 7-6(7) 6-3. Martina Trevisan overcame Malene Helgo after three sets, winning 7-5 3-6 6-4.
Croatia took a 1-0 lead over France after a 6-4 6-3 win for Donna Vekic over Alize Cornet.
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