The 2026 season kicks off this week with the United Cup, the mixed team tennis event being held in Perth and Sydney, Australia, from Friday to January 11, which will see a host of top stars from both the ATP Tour and Hologic WTA Tour compete for honors, with Argentina securing its first win of Group A with a 3-0 victory over Spain on Day 1.
It was a really tough match. I just tried to focus on my game. I did very well, but at 5-2 in the second set I didn’t play that well. But I’m really proud of how I continued in the third set. I’m super happy to start the year competing and representing Argentina. It’s a different week, where we share the week with the whole team. We enjoy every moment. Solana Sierra
Team United States, led by world No. 3 Coco Gauff and world No. 6 Taylor Fritz, will defend its 2025 title, while Germany, the 2024 champion, boasts world No. 3 Alexander Zverev and debutant Eva Lys.
Other Marquee players competing include Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz for Poland, runners-up in both years, alongside Sitipas Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari for the award, Jasmine Paolini and Flavio Coboll for Italy, Felix Auger-Aliiasseme and Victoria Mbdoko for Canada, Emma Raducan (Great Britain), Naomi Osaka (Japan), Alex De Minaur (Australia) and Casper Ruud (Norway).
Established in 2023, the outdoor hard court event takes place at the RAC Arena in Perth and the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Center at the Ken Rosewall Arena, where 18 countries compete in 6 groups of 3.
The group stage consists of round-robin matches, with each country playing the other two teams in its group.
Unitedcup.com
Each tie consists of a men’s singles, a women’s singles and a mixed doubles.
The top team from each group will progress to the quarter-finals, with a place in the quarter-finals also awarded to the best runner-up nation in both Perth and Sydney.
Host cities Perth and Sydney will play a group match and quarter-finals each stage, with four countries progressing to the semi-finals on January 10, 2026, and the final on January 11 in Sydney.
The 2026 United Cup, which offers a minimum total of US$11,806,190 in prize money and entry fees, can be viewed on Sky UK’s tennis channel.
21-year-old Solana Sierra showed her perseverance by beating Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in 3 sets to secure Argentina’s opening win at the United Cup on Day 1 of the mixed team competition.
© Colin Murty/AFP via Getty Images
On Friday in Perth, Argentina took their first team victory of this year’s United Cup, thanks to singles wins from Sebastian Baez and Solana Sierra against Spain.
World number 66 Sierra took victory for her country in Group A with a 6-4 5-7 6-0 win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro after Baez defeated Jaume Munar 6-4 6-4 in the first match of the competition.
Argentina will be hoping to advance out of the group stage for the first time in three matches and were helped in the opening win by their second-highest and highest-ranked players, but it was Sierra’s grit in over 2 hours and 2 minutes that highlighted the match as she emphatically regrouped after losing a 5-2 second lead.
In fact, Sierra was twice two points away from a straight-set victory in the second set, serving at 30-30 at 5-3 and returning at 4-5, but in the end she needed three sets to improve on the world number 41 and achieve her third career victory over a Top 50 opponent, losing just 8 points in the decider after dropping five games in a row to lose the second.
“It was a very tough match,” the 21-year-old said afterwards. “I just tried to concentrate on my game. I did really well, but at 5-2 in the second set I didn’t play that well. But I’m really proud of how I continued in the third set.”
“I’m super happy to start the year competing and representing Argentina. It’s a different week, sharing it with the whole team. We’re enjoying every moment.”
Sebastian Baez gave Team Argentina a 1-0 lead after beating Spaniard Jaume Munar in straight sets in Perth on Friday
© Janelle St. Pierre/Getty Images
Earlier, in the first match of the day, world number 45 Baez defeated Munar to give Argentina a 1-0 lead, with the 24-year-old needing an hour and 43 minutes to beat the Spaniard on his debut at the mixed teams event.
“I really enjoyed this moment, enjoyed the time on the track, so happy [have] won this point for Argentina,” he said.
After both players exchanged breaks early in the first set, Baez gained control at 4-4 by breaking Munar and serving out the set in the next game.
In the second, the Argentine again showed great composure by immediately breaking back after losing serve for a 4-3 lead, saving four of the six break points he faced in the match.
“I’m happy because I’m recovering from some pain and some injuries from the last two years,” Baez continued. “So of course I want more. I know I have more. I have some confidence and I believe in my team and in my country.”
To end a strong afternoon, Argentinian mixed doubles duo Maria Lourdes Carle & Guido Andreozzi secured the sweep with a 7-6(6) 6-2 victory over Spain’s Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers & Inigo Cervantes.
In the second match of day 1, Greece, represented by Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas, will take on Japan, with Naomi Osaka and Shintaro Mochizuki, in Perth in the evening.
Team Spain suffered a 0-3 defeat to Argentina to open Group A action on Day 1 of the United Cup at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, and will next face defending champions USA.
© Janelle St. Pierre/Getty Images
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