Greece has secured its place in the United Cup quarter-finals for the third time in the tournament’s four-year history, edging Great Britain in a decisive Group E tie at Perth’s RAC Arena.
Three-set singles victories from Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas proved decisive for the Greek team, ensuring progression to the knockout stage despite a mixed doubles win for Great Britain in the final match of the tie.
Sakkari produced a composed 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Emma Raducanu, marking her first career win against the British star after four previous defeats. The result also capped a strong start to the season for the world No. 36, who earlier defeated Naomi Osaka in Greece’s opening tie against Japan.
Reflecting on the breakthrough win, Sakkari said: “Emma, I’ve had four tough losses against her so to get that first win against her, against a great opponent, it means a lot, especially delivering for Team Greece.”
Earlier in the evening, Tsitsipas set the tone for Greece with a gritty 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) win over Billy Harris in a match lasting more than two hours. After dropping the opening set, Tsitsipas regrouped to level the contest before holding his nerve in a tense third-set tie-break, leaning heavily on his forehand to close out the match.
The victory carried particular significance for Tsitsipas, who acknowledged his determination to overcome close losses that plagued him last season.
“I got fed up losing matches like that [last year],” he said. “I lost one in September and I just tried everything in my power to not have the same thing happen again. I am grateful to overcome that. It had a crazy energy out here.”
Great Britain claimed the final match of the tie, with Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski defeating Despina Papamichail and Stefanos Sakellaridis 6-2, 3-6, 10-4 in the mixed doubles, but the result did not alter Greece’s progression.
Tsitsipas now holds an 8-2 singles record at the United Cup, having also contributed to Greece’s opening win over Japan, as the Greek team once again underlined its strength in the mixed-teams competition.
Source: United Cup
