China defeated Belgium in their first Group B draw at the United Cup in Sydney on Saturday, needing a match-breaker in the decisive mixed doubles to secure a narrow 2-1 victory.
Playing the United Cup is something I will always want to do, because the atmosphere is so very different. We get so many normal tournaments on tour that, honestly, it gets boring sometimes. Playing a team event, and having the different energy, being able to have a team and talk to different people than on tour, I love it. It’s really refreshing. I will always choose [the] United Cup. Iga Swaatek
Belgian number 1 Elise Mertens got her team off to a strong start on matchday one at the Ken Rosewall Arena by beating China’s Zhu Lin 6-2 6-2, kicking off her twelfth tour-level WTA season in style with a 1 hour 18 minute win, which was her fourth win in five career meetings with the former world number three.
The 31-year-old from China enjoyed a resurgent second half of 2025 after seeing her ranking plummet due to an elbow injury.
She was ranked No. 493 in August, reached the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event in Montreal and will start 2026 at No. 168, but Mertens proved too much for the Chinese No. 6 on this occasion.
The Belgian broke serve six times, winning five of the first six games and four straight from 1-1 in the second set, despite landing less than 50% of her first serves in that set.
“I’m very happy to be back and to start well,” Mertens said afterwards. “The first game is about getting the balls, getting the mentality and all that, so I’m really happy to be able to finish this one.”
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China’s Zhang Zhizhen then battled to a 6-7(2) 7-6(3) 7-5 victory against Zizou Bergs in the men’s singles after 2 hours and 53 minutes to keep his team in the hunt, leveling the score at 1-1.
“I think he served very well, and then I didn’t have any chance,” Zhang said in his on-court interview. “Second services he made 180 kilometers [an hour]which I couldn’t respond to quickly. But I’m super happy that I survived [for the] team until the end. I didn’t give up and kept the same patience. We both played a very good match today.”
There was no service break in the match until 5-5 in the deciding set, when Bergs missed an inside-out forehand that allowed Zhang to serve out the match.
The Chinese, who missed six months last season due to a shoulder injury, fired twelve aces and failed to face a break point to survive Bergs’ barrage of eighteen aces.
Zhang, who is ranked 31st, scored 10 break points in the match before finally switching to the showdown after almost 3 hours to keep his country’s hopes of a draw alive.
China’s Zhang Zhizhen (R) & Zhu Lin defeated the matchbreaker against Belgians Zizou Bergs & Elise Mertens in the decisive mixed doubles match on Saturday
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After his singles match, Zhang teamed up with Zhu to beat Bergs & Mertens 5-7 7-6(5) [10-6]in the deciding mixed doubles.
“In doubles, all we had to do was win a set plus a super tiebreak,” said Zhang. “We just really [used] the first set to try to play more, and to try more things in the service games, and then to be prepared for the second set and, hopefully, the third set.”
It was a mixed doubles thriller, with China blowing a 5-1 lead in the second set, and Belgium twice coming within 2 points of the tie: at 6-5, 30-30 in the second set and then at 5-5 in the second set tiebreak.
Zhang dominated much of the game in key moments, but in the critical 5-5 point, Zhu showed great defensive volleys to prevent Belgium from conceding a match point.
The Chinese duo then took the lead in the 10-point matchbreaker, closing out the clash after captain Wu Di called a timeout at 9-6 before Zhang got his final serve.
“It was the first time we played mixed doubles together, and thanks to Triple Z, I got a good partner today,” said Zhu. “He just played a three-hour match and then continued to play mixed doubles with me. It wasn’t easy. It was a great performance today and thank you to the whole crowd and for the support, it really means a lot to us.”
19-year-old Victoria Mboko makes her United Cup debut for Canada, who will face China and Belgium in Group B in Sydney
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China, who now top Group B in the standings, will face Canada next.
Victoria Mboko will make her United Cup debut for Canada after a breakthrough season in 2025 that saw the teenager rise from outside the Top 300 to world number 18 and win her first WTA 100 title, the National Bank Open in Montreal, beating former world number 1 Naomi Osaka in the final.
Canadian teammate Felix Auger-Aliassime, who is ranked fifth in the world, could potentially share the court with Mboko for the first time if they are both selected for a mixed doubles match.
“Vicky had a breakout year last year. Great year. It was so fun to watch,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I think myself, my teammates and all of Canada were very proud of her. I’m looking forward to it.”
“It would be the first time that we are in the same team and play together mixed. I have had my share of experience, so hopefully I can help a little bit. She has all the qualities we need on the field to go all the way and win.”
Mboko is excited about the opportunity to play alongside one of the world’s best, who reached the semi-finals in men’s singles at the 2025 US Open.
She also enjoyed competing for Canada in the Billie Jean King Cup, which helped her decide to play in the United Cup.
“This is just a different format that I’m not really used to,” Mboko said. “It’s a great way to start the year, playing round-robin matches and then maybe eventually progressing to the final group stage. The whole format of it all attracted me to play this tournament. I’m happy with my decision.”
Team Poland’s Iga Swiatek poses in Sydney Harbor ahead of the United Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena on Friday
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Saturday was also Media Day and world number 2 Iga Swiatek made it clear that she will not put any extra pressure on herself ahead of the 2026 season.
With four Roland Garros titles and one each at Wimbledon and the US Open to her name, the Pole only needs a win at the Australian Open to complete her Grand Slam career, but the former world number 1 is refusing to be drawn.
“I just focus on my own process,” the 24-year-old explained to the media. “Both things are difficult to achieve and are a big goal. There is still a long way to get there. At a Grand Slam you have to play really great for two weeks, not have any bad days, be consistent.”
‘Reaching number 1 is also difficult, especially as Aryna [Sabalenka] has been playing great in recent years. Honestly, I’m just focusing on myself because that’s the only way to move forward. I don’t have to choose which is more important; which has priority. I’m still young. I have enough time to do different things and achieve different goals in my career.
“I think my mentality at the beginning of the year is usually pretty much the same. The only difference was maybe 2023, when I made the mistake of thinking about the whole season early on. It didn’t make any sense at all.”
“Now I’m really thinking about it, just like last year, just like in 2024. I’m just thinking about one swing, just about tournaments in Australia. When I’m done with that, I’m thinking about the next one.”
Swiatek’s current focus is on the United Cup, where she guided Poland to the final here in Sydney last season before narrowly losing 2-0 to the United States. Poland also reached the final in 2024, when it lost 2-1 to Germany.
Given the team format of the United Cup, compared to the Brisbane and Adelaide tournaments, which start next week, Swiatek prefers to open her season by representing her country.
“I will always want to play United Cup because the atmosphere is so different,” said Swiatek, who will face Germany’s Eva Lys and Dutch Suzan Lamens in Group F. “We get so many normal tournaments on tour that, to be honest, it gets boring sometimes.
“Playing a team event and having a different energy, being able to have a team and talking to different people than on tour, I think that’s great. It’s really refreshing. I will always choose [the] UnitedCup.”
Poland is in Group F with 2023 champions Germany and the Netherlands and is in action in Sydney on Monday.
The Czech Barbora Krejcikova is one of the many players making her debut at the United Cup.
At 65th, Krejcikova is ranked lower than her compatriots such as Karolina Muchova and Marketa Vondrousova, but they have chosen to start their campaigns in Brisbane, paving the way for the two-time Grand Slam champion to represent her country.
“When I got the chance to be part of the team and play this competition, after a few years, I was immediately very excited,” Krejcikova said. “Like I said, I’m very happy to be here, to represent this team.”
Krejcikova is currently scheduled to play Australia’s Maya Joint and Norway’s Malene Helgo in Group D, although Joint has been battling an illness in recent days.
After returning from injury midway through the 2025 season, Krejcikova said she feels healthy heading into the new season, and improved her ranking with a quarterfinal appearance at the US Open.
She is also an easy choice for mixed doubles, given her seven Grand Slam doubles titles.
“As for mixed doubles, it’s always been great to play mixed,” Krejcikova said. “I’ve always really enjoyed it.”
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