United Cup 2025: China Faces Daunting Challenge Without Star Zheng as 18 Teams Compete

Sydney, Dec 26 (NationPress) Gao Xinyu is set to confront the daunting challenge of substituting for women's world No. 5 Zheng Qinwen as she joins forces with Zhang Zhizhen, China’s highest-ranked male player, at the United Cup, which kicks off this Friday. China, seeded fifth, will begin their challenge against Brazil at the 15,000-seat RAC Arena in Perth. The defending champions, Germany, spearheaded by men's World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, are also placed in Group E.

This mixed team event, organized by the ATP and WTA, marks the third edition of the tournament taking place in Sydney and Perth, effectively signaling the beginning of the 2025 international tennis season ahead of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the calendar year, as reported by Xinhua.

At the United Cup, seven of the world’s top 10 women players and six of the top 12 men will compete, culminating in the finals on January 5 in Sydney.

China's aspirations to surpass their previous quarterfinal finish have taken a significant blow following Zheng’s decision to withdraw, opting for rest before next month’s Australian Open. Zheng, who had a breakout year, highlighted by winning the women's Olympic gold medal, was a runner-up to current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at Melbourne Park after participating in last year's United Cup in Perth.

Initially set to represent China once more, Zheng stated on social media, "After the long season that 2024 was for me, I need a few extra weeks of rest, recovery, and good training to prepare for the new season. I had such a fantastic time at the United Cup in January of this year, and therefore will miss the event greatly."

With Zheng’s absence, world No. 175 Gao has a chance to shine. The 27-year-old recently reached the Round of 32 at the Hong Kong Open. She is expected to face a tough battle against 17th-ranked Beatriz Haddad Maia from Brazil, concluding the group stage against Germany's Laura Siegemund.

China's prospects for a successful tournament will rely heavily on Zhang, ranked 45th in the world, who reached the third round at this year’s French Open. The 28-year-old also earned a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in mixed doubles alongside Wang Xinyu and had a thrilling semifinal run in the doubles category at this year's Australian Open alongside Czech Tomas Machac. Zhang's first match in the United Cup will be against 109th-ranked Thiago Monteiro, followed by a showdown with Zverev on Monday. Zverev is looking to sharpen his preparations for the Australian Open as he aims to break his Grand Slam title drought.

With 18 teams divided into six groups in a round-robin format, the group winners and the two best-performing runners-up will progress to the quarterfinals.

The top-seeded United States features women's world No. 3 Coco Gauff, who did not secure a Grand Slam victory this year after winning the 2023 U.S. Open. She teams up with men's No. 4 Taylor Fritz, who reached his first major final at the U.S. Open before falling to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in straight sets. The United States is placed in Group A alongside Canada and Croatia.

Women's world No. 2 Iga Swiatek is expected to draw significant attention as she returns after a month-long suspension for testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. The five-time Grand Slam champion will lead the second-seeded Poland alongside Hubert Hurkacz, currently ranked No. 16 among men. They previously guided Poland to a runner-up finish in the last United Cup and will face Czech Republic and Norway in Group B.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, a former finalist at the Australian Open, begins his quest for his first Grand Slam title as the leading player for third-seeded Greece, who will compete against Kazakhstan and Spain in Group C. Spain will be without their star Carlos Alcaraz and will rely on former top-10 player Pablo Carreno Busta for their charge. Women's fourth-ranked Jasmine Paolini, who reached the finals at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year, partners with Flavio Cobolli for Italy, which faces France and Switzerland in Group D.

Australia's fate largely depends on Alex de Minaur, the country’s top-ranked male player, who is set to compete against his fiancée, Katie Boulter, when Australia takes on Britain, shortly after their engagement. Argentina is also in Group F.