Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas gave Greece a flying start to the United Cup in Perth on Friday evening with a 3-0 win over Japan.
It’s been a tough few months for me. I was in a lot of uncertainty and wasn’t sure if I could really compete, so to see myself back at that level and showing really good tennis is something I’m grateful for. Let’s continue. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Both former world number 3s have endured a challenging 2025 but are on the rise at the start of this new season, with both scoring straight wins in their first Group E draw.
Sakkari claimed an impressive 6-4 6-2 win over Naomi Osaka to put Greece 1-0 ahead, although the Japanese was reportedly not at her best after a recent illness, but the result is sure to boost the Greek’s confidence.
“You’re always very hesitant going into that first game because sometimes you can kid yourself that you’ve had a good preseason, and then you have high expectations to come out and do everything,” Sakkari told reporters after the game. “I really forced myself to not think like that. I think that was the key. I just went out there, tried to do the things that I was working on and, you know, we can keep building and we can keep trying to improve.”
She shook off any lingering disappointment after last year’s early exit and got Greece off to a fast start with an impressive victory over Osaka, four-time Grand Slam champion and current world number 16.
Against Osaka for the first time in almost five years, Sakkari struck first in the opener, racing out to a 2-0 lead with a break and an early break in the Japanese’s opener.
Although Osaka immediately broke back, Sakkari reclaimed the advantage and closed out the set, painting the line with a backhand winner to set up a third set point, which she promptly converted.
“[There were] a lot of backhand winners, but also a lot of backhand mistakes,” said Sakkari. “I have to allow myself to miss so I can make a lot of winners. It was all about who would take the backhand line. It was all about who would get that good crosscourt ball to get down the line.
They swapped positions at the start of the second, before Sakkari erased two break points for a 2-1 lead.
She then managed to break Osaka again and take the lead, 3–1, and maintained control from there, sealing her third win in six meetings with the former world number 1 after an hour and 38 minutes to level the head-to-head and, more importantly, give Greece the 1–0 lead in the tie.
“To be honest, I didn’t think it was a bad first match for what it was,” said Osaka, who said she was battling an aggressive cold. “I definitely could have been more aggressive on the return, and I think I did that a little bit towards the end, but [I’m] learning not to be afraid of mistakes, and actually going for it from the start.”
© Maria Sakkari/Instagram
Just before her departure to Australia, Sakkari was congratulated on her recent engagement to her long-time boyfriend Konstantinos Mitsotakis, the son of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The couple started dating five years ago, and although Sakkari did not share the engagement news publicly, it was revealed during the prime minister’s conversation with fellow Greek politicians at the beginning of the year, when he described his future daughter-in-law as “an exceptional young woman” and revealed that the wedding was planned for 2027.
Sakkari now wears an impressive engagement ring from the Mitsotakis family, which previously belonged to the groom-to-be’s mother, Mareva Mitsotaki.
“I am a very lucky girl to have a partner who I love and who loves me. He is exceptional, he gives me strength and courage,” she said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas sealed victory for Greece with a straight sets win over Team Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki on Friday evening in Perth, Australia
© Paul Kane/Getty Images
On Friday, Tsitsipas also launched his own 2026 campaign on a positive note, guiding Greece across the finish line.
Playing his first match since last September after being laid off due to a back injury, Tsitsipas looked strong in an impressive 6-3 6-4 win over Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki.
“It’s been a tough few months for me,” Tsitsipas said. “I was in a lot of uncertainty and I wasn’t sure if I could really compete, so to see myself back at that level and showing really good tennis is something I’m grateful for. Let’s keep it up.”
After a second-round loss to Matteo Gigante at Roland Garros last year, Tsitsipas fell outside the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since August 2018.
He battled a back injury last season, briefly working with Goran Ivanisevic before rehiring his father, Apostolos, as his coach. Now looking refreshed and purposeful, he struck the ball with conviction in his first career meeting with 22-year-old Mochizuki, the world number 99.
Tsitsipas was once in the Top 10 and is now ranked number 36 in the world. He is targeting a return to a major final in 2026, having previously reached that stage at Roland Garros in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2023.
In the mixed-doubles match, Sakkari & Tsitsipas defeated Nao Hibino & Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-2 6-3 to complete Greece’s 3-0 sweep, giving them an early lead over Japan and Great Britain in Group E.
Team Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt (2nd from left) speaks at a press conference alongside players John-Patrick Smith (R), Storm Hunter and Alex de Minaur (L) ahead of the United Cup in Sydney on Friday, but Maya Joint was absent due to illness
© Izhar Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, hosts Australia’s hopes of starting their campaign with a win against Norway on January 3 suffered a setback when Maya Joint was ordered to rest due to illness on Friday.
“I haven’t talked to her because she’s resting, so [she’s] I’m trying to get as much sleep and rest as possible today,” team captain Lleyton Hewitt told reporters in Sydney on Friday. “Hopefully it’s only a matter of 24 hours and she can bounce back tomorrow.”
Joint, ranked 32nd, is overwhelming favorite against world number 532 Malene Helgo, with Norway led by three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud, who will face Australian Alex de Minaur.
While it wouldn’t be a disaster if Joint missed the opening match, Australia would still like to see her make her debut in front of her home crowd.
If she is proven to be too ill to compete, world number 164 Maddison Inglis will step in against Helgo.
Australia, which is drawn in Group D with Norway and the Czech Republic, will play in Sydney on Saturday evening.
If Joint doesn’t meet its usual standards, the good news is that Australia will have to wait a little longer for the second and final group stage match against the Czech Republic, who field two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, while De Minaur will face the talented Jakub Mensik.
A mixed doubles draw could be necessary to resolve a singles tie, and should this prove necessary, Australia can boast former world number 1 Storm Hunter as she attempts to return to the heights she once reached before rupturing her Achilles tendon in 2024.
Team Japan’s Go Soeda, Naomi Osaka, Nao Hibino, Shuntar Mochizuki and Yasutaka Uchiyama pose during the United Cup campaign
© Paul Kane/Getty Images for Tennis Australia
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