Perth, Jan 2 (NationPress) Argentina kicked off their campaign in the 2026 United Cup mixed-gender team tennis event with a victorious performance, securing a first-team win by overcoming Spain in their opening match held in Perth on Friday. The singles triumphs from Sebastian Baez and Solana Sierra provided a 2-0 advantage, and the duo of Guido Andreozzi and Maria Lourdes Carle clinched the mixed doubles to deliver a decisive win.

World No. 66, Sierra, sealed the victory for her nation in Group A with a scoreline of 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, after Baez had bested Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-4 in the competition's initial match. Andreozzi and Carle then triumphed over Yvonne Carvalle-Reimers and Inigo Cervantes with a score of 7-6(6), 6-2 in the mixed doubles clash, culminating in a convincing 3-0 victory for Argentina.

The South American team’s next challenge will be against the defending champions, Team USA, in their remaining Group A contest.

Argentina is aiming to progress beyond the group stage for the first time in three tournament participations, bolstered by its second-highest and highest-ranked players in the ATP and WTA rankings, respectively. Sierra's resilience stood out as she remarkably recovered from a 5-2 disadvantage in the second set during a match lasting 2 hours and 2 minutes.

Sierra came within two points of winning in straight sets twice in the second set, holding 30-30 while serving at 5-3 and again while returning at 5-4. Ultimately, she needed three sets to defeat the World No. 41, marking her third career victory against a Top 50 opponent. Despite dropping five consecutive games to lose the second set, she conceded only eight points in the final set.

Earlier, in the inaugural match of the 2026 ATP Tour season, World No. 45 Baez outperformed Munar to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. In his debut at this mixed teams event, the 24-year-old Baez achieved a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the Spaniard, lasting one hour and 43 minutes in the Group A clash. This win improved his head-to-head against Munar to 2-0.

After both players exchanged breaks early in the first set, Baez took control at 4-4, breaking Munar and successfully serving out the set. In the second set, the Argentine displayed remarkable poise by breaking back immediately after losing serve for a 4-3 lead. According to ATP Stats, he saved four of the six break points he confronted throughout the match.

This victory marked Baez's first win against a Top 50 player since he triumphed over then-No. 46 Mariano Navone en route to a title in Rio last February.