Alexander Zverev has led Team Germany to their maiden United Cup title, winning both his singles and mixed doubles matches to help claim the tie over Poland 2-1.
In a remarkable feat, the German played six matches in three days, something he considered to be ‘harder than a slam’.
His team had to do it the long way, though, as they lost the first match of the tie.
That was at the hands of World Number One Iga Swiatek in the women’s singles.
She was again in fine form, easily defeating Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-0 in just over an hour.
It capped off a fantastic week in singles for Iga, as she only lost one set in her five matches and claimed the first ever United Cup MVP award.
Hubert Hurkacz then had a chance to claim the title for Poland with a win over Alexander Zverev.
In another match that was full of momentum shifts, the Pole found himself one point away from victory in the second set tiebreak when leading 6-4.
Zverev then came up with a clutch passing shot winner that caught less than a millimetre of the line, and then, after a Hurkacz error, the German was able to send the match into a third set.
He was exhausted, saying post-match that throughout that set he was already running on empty after what had been a massive week for him.
Zverev somehow proved everyone wrong, stunning Hurkacz to claim the final set 6-4 and level the tie at 1-1 after just over three hours on court.
Speaking to Jim Courier after the match, he did not even know if he would back up for the mixed doubles shortly after, a match that would have been his sixth in three days.
Well, he did, and alongside Laura Siegmund, the Germans were able to complete a memorable comeback and claim the match and tie, winning in the match tiebreak 10-4.
Zverev was obviously ecstatic after the tie and so happy for his team.
He said, "It's been absolutely amazing. It's been a pleasure, and it's been absolutely so much fun for everybody to be part of this team, especially for me."
This, the second edition of the United Cup, was a major success. The crowd numbers and vibe around both Perth and Sydney were superb.
The tournament will keep improving in future years, and I am sure no one can doubt its place on the ATP/WTA calendar.
Comentários