Katie Boulter helped secure Great Britain’s place in the quarter-finals of the United Cup, delivering a key win over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki.
With a spot in the next round on the line, Boulter rose to the occasion and won in impressive fashion, giving Britain the points they needed to top their group.
A Crucial Victory Against Olivia Gadecki
The match was critical for Great Britain’s progression, as a straight-sets victory from any of their three singles rubbers would ensure their spot in the quarter-finals.
Boulter stepped up and played brilliantly, defeating the world’s 97th-ranked Gadecki 6-2 6-1 in Sydney.
Following the win, Boulter spoke on court about how happy she was to start her year with such a dominant performance.
She also joked about her nerves, revealing that the thought of playing doubles against her fiancé, Australia’s top player Alex De Minaur, had been keeping her up at night.
“I feel like I’ve actually lost a lot of sleep recently over the thought of playing my fiancé in doubles, so I’m just really happy to get through this rubber,” she shared with a laugh.
De Minaur’s Response and Mixed Doubles Plan
After Boulter’s victory, De Minaur took to the court and beat Billy Harris in straight sets, keeping the pressure on for Australia.
However, while Boulter will participate in the mixed doubles match later, De Minaur won’t, meaning the couple won’t play against each other after all.
Instead, Boulter will team up with Charles Broom to face Australia’s Ellen Perez and Matthew Ebden, although the result of this match won’t affect Britain’s progression to the next stage.
Great Britain’s next challenge will come against Italy in the quarter-finals, a match that promises to be an exciting test for the team.
Kazakhstan and Poland Advance to the Semis
In other United Cup action, Kazakhstan became the first team to secure a spot in the semi-finals, overcoming Germany with a 2-1 victory.
Alexander Zverev, Germany’s top player, was a late withdrawal due to an arm injury, leaving Daniel Masur to step in.
Masur was defeated by Alexander Shevchenko in three sets, but Germany managed to win a consolation doubles match.
Meanwhile, Poland had a strong start to the year with Iga Swiatek playing a key role in their 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic.
Swiatek, ranked number two in the world, dominated Karolina Muchova 6-3 6-4 in singles and later partnered with Hubert Hurkacz in mixed doubles to seal the win with a 7-6 (3) 6-3 victory over Muchova and Tomas Machac.