Casper Ruud makes a big statement with victory over Alex de Minaur and United Cup draw | ATP tour | Tennis

United Cup

Ruud makes a big statement with De Minaur victory and United Cup draw

Australia and Norway at 1-1 level
January 3, 2026

If Casper Ruud’s performance on Saturday evening at the United Cup is a harbinger of what will happen in 2026, the rest of the ATP Tour will be aware.

The Norwegian produced a flawless performance to get past home player Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 34 minutes to level Norway’s tie against Australia at 1-1.

“I’m happy that I have a great start,” said Ruud in his on-court interview against ATP No. 1 Club member Jim Courier. “Beating Alex here in Australia is one of the toughest challenges we face in tennis, so I’m super happy to have that on my CV now.”

Ruud played aggressively and decisively, preventing De Minaur from finding a rhythm. The former No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings saved all five break points he faced and consistently put pressure on the Australian’s serve, earning ten break chances and converting three.

“It’s a great start to a new season,” said Ruud. “I think we all saw Alex in better shape than he was today. He made a few unforced errors that he normally doesn’t do, so I got some free points here and there. You could see early on that he was struggling with his serve, so I got a free break and just built from there.”

The first draw in Group D of the competition came courtesy of a decisive mixed doubles match after Storm Hunter had given the home side a 1-0 lead earlier in the evening. Hunter and John-Patrick Smith play Viktor Durasovic and Ulrikke Eikeri.

^{Photo credits: Jason McCawley/Getty Images}
Australia opened its 2026 United Cup campaign when Hunter Malene defeated Helgo 6-2, 7-6 (3).

Hunter, 31, returned to the league last season after missing nearly a year between March 2024 and March 2025 due to an Achilles tendon injury that required surgery. She came into action at the last minute on Saturday for Australia’s number 1 Maya Joint, who was sidelined due to illness.

The experienced left-hander made a fast start against 26-year-old Helgo, who is participating in the United Cup for the fourth time. Hunter broke serve twice in the opening set to make it 6-2.

Helgo, ranked No. 532 and looking for her first WTA Tour win, raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set before Hunter – a former world No. 1 doubles player and a Grand Slam mixed doubles champion – rallied to level the set at 5-5.

Helgo saved three break points in a crucial eleventh game to hold a 6–5 lead, but Hunter held serve to force a tiebreak. The Australian then dominated the tiebreak to seal a 6-2, 7-6 (3) win.