United Cup: Zverev Takes Charge as Germany Defeats China 2-1, Advances to Quarterfinals

Perth, Dec 30 (NationPress) Alexander Zverev and Laura Siegemund upheld their unblemished United Cup record in the mixed doubles on Monday, solidifying the defending champions Germany's position as Group E victors and earning a place in the quarterfinals with a triumph over China in Group E.

The pair achieved a 6-2, 7-6(3) victory against Zhang Zhizhen and Zhang Shuai in the critical mixed doubles rubber against China, concluding the contest with a 2-1 victory for the defending champions. Zverev and Siegemund had already claimed victory in all four previous mixed doubles matches they participated in at the event, ensuring they maintained their perfect record with a robust performance, setting up a quarter-final showdown with Kazakhstan.

“Triple ZZZ is a very funny guy, we had a great singles and great mixed doubles match with Laura,” expressed Zverev. “I’m happy that we’re in the quarterfinals and, actually, I’m pleased that China is in the quarterfinals too. Congratulations to the Chinese team. It was a really great match,” Siegemund commented. “When you play for the first time after a while, you never really know what to expect, and I think it was a stellar performance.”

Earlier, Zverev overcame a slow start to give Germany an initial 1-0 lead in the tie, coming back to secure a 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Zhang Zhizhen. Gao Xinyu then pulled through for China with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 upset against Siegemund, leveling the tie at 1-1. With her singles victory, Gao ensured that China finished second in Group E and will face the winner of Group A in the quarter-finals. “I didn’t start well... I was missing more shots from my backhand side, which is usually my most stable,” Zverev noted. “He was also playing extremely well, so aggressively. He wasn’t allowing me to get into the match or find my rhythm.

“Then I pushed some balls back in the second set to regain some rhythm from the baseline. After that, I found my rhythm and I’m satisfied with my performance in the second and third sets.”

In the men’s singles, Zhang began where he left off from his impressive 54-minute display against Thiago Monteiro on Friday with a strong start to the winner-takes-all tie. Zverev’s notable quality has been his serving recently, but it faced a significant test in the opening set against Zhang. The Chinese star broke Zverev twice and dominated behind his own serve, winning 93 percent (13/14) of first deliveries, as per Infosys ATP Stats.

Though Zhang, who reached his first ATP Tour final in Hangzhou in September, started strong, he could not endure the challenge from the 23-time titlist Zverev once he found his footing in the match. Zverev, significantly supported by the 22 unforced errors from Zhang, took control with a flawless second-set score. After a noticeable drop in intensity during the second set, Zhang steadied himself through the first four games of the deciding set. However, after another slip in the sixth, Zverev surged ahead, winning the last four games to improve to 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head encounters.

Gao's victory capped off a remarkable week for the World No.175, who stepped in for the absent Zheng Qinwen in singles. Prior to the United Cup, her professional career, which began in 2014, had seen the 27-year-old secure only one tour-level victory, in Hua Hin last September, and one win against a Top 100 player, over Veronica Cepede Royg in 2017 Beijing qualifying.

Now, including a standout career-best win over Beatriz Haddad Maia, Gao has achieved two more victories of each kind. Despite dealing with a leg injury during the 3-hour, 22-minute marathon against Haddad Maia, Gao emerged against Siegemund both agile and effective. Conversely, Siegemund struggled with her timing and touch in the first set, where she committed 14 unforced errors compared to Gao's seven.