The first tennis week of 2024 has ended. Both men’s and women’s tournaments were held simultaneously in Brisbane. The men’s trophy was also played on the courts in Hong Kong, and the girls’ trophy was played on the courts in Auckland. The highest status and most attractive competition was the United Cup, where 18 teams took part. First things first…
United Cup 2024
The second draw of the new team tournament (both men and women played for each team), which will now traditionally open the new season. 18 teams took part in the competition, which were divided into six groups of three teams. The winners and the two best teams that took 2nd place formed playoff pairs.
The format of the matches between the teams included one singles match between men, one between women and a mixed doubles match.
Last year’s tournament winner, the US team, failed to advance from Group C, losing to Australia in the playoffs. The 1/4 final pairs were formed by Poland, Greece, France, Germany, Serbia, China, Norway and Australia.
The main favorite, naturally, was Poland thanks to world number one Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz, who is capable of beating anyone on the Australian courts.
Poland practically rolled through to the final, winning against everyone 3:0, except Spain (2:1), when Hubert lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. But in mixed doubles, Iga and Hubert simply defeated the Tormo/Fokina tandem 6:0, 6:0. Swiatek and Hubert became the first pair in the last 17 years to win a doubles match in mixed doubles.
In the United Cup final, Poland met Germany and unexpectedly lost in part. Swiatek calmly dealt with Angelique Kerber, but Hubert let him down, although he won the opening set against Alexander Zverev and had 2 match points in the tiebreaker of the second game. The German managed to bounce back and switch the game to mixed doubles, where, paired with Laura Siegemund, he closed out the sensational tandem of Swiatek/Hurkacs and brought Germany the title.
Swiatek could not hold back her tears after the defeat. The consolation prize for Iga was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. The Polish woman won all 5 singles matches.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Iga Sventek
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Germany national tennis team
From the important news at the United Cup: Australian demon Alex de Minaur beat Novak Djokovic 6:4, 6:4, and then at a press conference he promised to propose to his girlfriend Katie Boulter if he wins the Australian Open 2024.
Alex interrupted Nole’s incredible win streak on the Australian courts, which lasted 43 matches and lasted 6 years.
WTA 250 Auckland
In Auckland, Ukraine was represented by two tennis players: Elina Svitolina and Lesya Tsurenko.
Already in the first match, Lesya experienced slight problems with her lower-status opponent Sachia Vickery, and lost to Diane Parry in the 1/8 finals. Ukrainian fans attributed Tsurenko’s fiasco to her age (the Ukrainian is 34, she will be 35 in May) and problems with physics. Let’s think so and hope that Lesya will be 100% prepared for the Australian Major.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Lesya Tsurenko
Svitolina once again tried to show the Ukrainians that they need to follow tennis in our country, and, looking ahead, she did a great job. Elina received the status of second seeded and, in principle, it was initially possible to predict a successful performance for her.
However, there were questions about the form, since the Ukrainian had not played since the US Open 2023, and this tape on her leg did not give anyone any rest. As a result, Svitolina beat Caroline Wozniacki, Emma Raducanu, Maria Bouzka, Wang Xiyu and reached the final.
The matches against Raducanu and Bouzkova are especially worth noting. With Emma, the Ukrainian had big problems in the first two sets, in which tiebreakers were played (Elina had to make a comeback after losing the first), but already in the third there was a devastating 6:1.
With Bouzkova, seemingly the 36th racket in the world, there was a one-wicket win – 6:0, 6:0 in 1 hour and 6 minutes.
One of the most positive moments in these two games was the statistics of Elina’s winners and forwards. With Raducanu: 52 against 26, and with Bouzkova: 28 against 5.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Elina Svitolina
In the match for the title, Elina met with the third racket of the world, the winner of the US Open 2023, Coco Goff (USA). Unfortunately, it was not possible to beat the American, despite winning the first set in a tiebreaker. The match ended with a score of 6:7, 6:3, 6:3 in favor of Goff. Note that Coco defended her title in Auckland, winning the tournament for the second time in a row.
In any case, Svitolina showed cool and high-quality tennis. Starting from the semifinals, the first racket of Ukraine took medical time-outs. Eli withdrew from the Adelaide tournament, so she will have a week’s break before the Australian Open 2024. There are few questions about Svitolina’s game, but about her physical form… We hope everything will be fine and Elina will go far at the Australian Major.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Coco Goff and Elina Svitolina
WTA 500 Brisbane
Four Ukrainians took part in singles at the tournament in Brisbane: Yulia Starodubtseva, Dayana Yastremskaya, Angelina Kalinina and Marta Kostyuk.
Yulia and Dayana won the opening qualifying matches, and faced each other in the final. Yastremskaya turned out to be stronger in the Ukrainian derby. However, she did not manage to get far through the main draw. Already in the first round, the Ukrainian tennis player lost to Daria Saville 0:6, 4:6.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Diana Yastremskaya
Kostyuk won against Ana Bogdan in the 1/32 finals with a comeback. There were difficulties for a reason. In the 2nd round, Marta lost without a chance to Daria Kasatkina 3:6, 4:6. In the fight against Kasatkina, Kostyuk took a medical time-out, where she had her back massaged and tape applied to her leg.
Kalinina received the status of 12th seed and started from the 1/16 finals. At this stage, Angelina lost to Clara Burel 4:6, 1:6.
To summarize, the performances of the Ukrainian women in Brisbane in singles were very disappointing. What can you hope for, what kind of conditional top 20 / top 10, if you lose to Saville, Burel? Marta – okay, maybe there is some kind of injury, and Kasatkina is not an easy opponent, but again… If you want to become the strongest, then you need to beat the strongest… And not lose, which madly infuriates the Ukrainian fans, Saville, Burel, fly away without Kasatkina’s struggle…
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Marta Kostyuk
The trophy in Brisbane was won by Elena Rybakina, who crushed all her rivals, including crushing the bulbosaurus Arina Sabalenka in the final 6:0, 6:3.
In doubles, Lyudmila Kichenok pleased. Together with Alena Ostapenko, the Ukrainian won the trophy, managing to finish off Alexandrova and Kalinskaya in the 1st round.
Lyudmila and Alena won the 3rd overall doubles trophy. The Ukrainian-Latvian tandem is really strong and can qualify for the final stages of almost all tournaments.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Alena Ostapenko and Lyudmila Kichenok
APR 250 Brisbane / APR 250 Hong Kong
The tournament in Brisbane was highly anticipated by many because it was on these courts that the legendary Rafael Nadal celebrated his return to tennis. And he got off to a really great start. First, he confidently beat Dominic Thiem, and then crushed Jason Kubler.
However, in the quarterfinals, Rafa unexpectedly lost to Jordan Thompson, failing to convert 3 match points.
Nadal’s unsuccessful comeback was unsuccessful not because he lost to a weaker tennis player, but because he was injured again… A new injury forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open. Rafa’s return has been postponed, but now we can say with almost 100% certainty that Nadal will retire in 2024, no matter how sad it may sound.
The trophy in Brisbane was won by Grigor Dimitrov, who beat Holger Rune. For the eminent Bulgarian, this is the first title since 2017 and the 9th in his career.
Rune, in turn, played in the final match for the 9th time and lost for the 5th time.
Getty Images/Global Images Ukraine. Grigor Dimitrov and Holger Rune
One Ukrainian performed in Hong Kong – Vitaly Sachko. He successfully qualified for the tournament, winning against Pirosh and Atman, but at the start of the main event he lost to local Marc-Andrea Husler.
The title in Hong Kong was won by the first seeded and representative of the country 404 Andrey Rublev.
Katarina Zavatskaya and Daria Snigur
Last week, two more Ukrainians took part in the lower-status WTA 125 tournament in Canberra: Katarina Zavatskaya and Daria Snigur.
Zavatskaya failed at the start, and even in qualifying. In the 1st round of selection, Katarina lost to Polina Kudermetova 5:7, 2:6, although in the first game she won 4:0 with two breaks…
Snigur played more successfully, successfully overcoming the qualifying sieve, winning against Tina Smith and Smiona Waltert. However, in the 1/16 finals, the Ukrainian lost to Ocean Doden in two sets and completed her preparations for AO 2024.
Ilya Marchenko and Vadim Ursu
Ilya Marchenko went to the Challenger in Noumea (New Caledonia). There, in the 1st round, the Ukrainian lost to the first seeded Richard Gasquet 6:7, 2:6.
It is too early (or too late) for Vadim Urs to prepare for the Australian Major. The 27-year-old Ukrainian tennis player played in the challenger in Oeiras (Portugal). There he lost in the 2nd round of qualifying to Noah Rubin, but received the status of lucky loser and played in the main draw. In the 1/16 finals, Ursu beat Ethan Quinn, and in the 1/8 he lost to local Jamie Faria.
Applications for the Davis Cup match Ukraine – USA, return of Sachko
On January 5, the Ukrainian Tennis Federation announced the composition of the Davis Cup national team for the World Final qualifying match against the US team.
Ukraine will be represented by: Vitaly Sachko, Alexey Krutykh, Vladislav Orlov, Vyacheslav Belinsky and Ilya Beloborodko. Captain – Orest Tereshchuk.
The USA is much more serious: Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda, Christopher Eubanks, Austin Krajicek, Rajeev Ram.
Frankly, the “blue-yellows” have few chances, and it’s Eubanks who has been announced, not Ben Shelton. However, it is worth noting the appearance of the first racket of Ukraine, Vitaly Sachko, who has not played in the national team since March 2022.
The match will take place on February 1-2 on the courts of the SEB Arena in Vilnius.
2024-01-08 05:00:00
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