The 2026 season got underway with the now-traditional United Cup, which has been kicking off both the ATP and WTA campaigns since 2022.
Teams from the United States, Germany, and Great Britain are among those taking part in events held across Perth and Sydney, as the Australian leg of the calendar leads up to the first Grand Slam of the year.
Emma Raducanu is captaining Great Britain this year, while Taylor Fritz, Coco Gauff, and Alexander Zverev are among several other big names representing their countries.
The tournament began on January 2 with Argentina facing Spain. Sebastian Baez started things off with a win to open the new campaign. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s competition:
Baez gets his season off to a flying start
He did just that in straight sets, with a 6-4, 6-4 win to kick off his year on the right foot.
Munar had a higher ranking going into the match and made a good start, even holding several set points early on. But Baez managed to turn things around, showing plenty of grit along the way.
Afterwards, Baez spoke about what it meant to him: “I really enjoyed this moment, enjoyed the time on court, so happy to [have] won this point for Argentina.
“I am happy because I am recovering from some pain and some injuries from the past two years. So, of course, I want more. I know I have more. I have some confidence and I believe in my team and in my country.”
Argentina set for challenging matchup in next United Cup fixture
In a group where only the top team advances, Argentina still has work to do despite their strong start.
Their next opponents are the United States, who come into the tie with two of the event’s biggest names in Gauff and Fritz.
With Argentina already holding a win over Spain, it puts extra pressure on the Americans to secure victories in both remaining matches to advance.
Given their track record and recent title wins in 2023 and 2025, the United States remain heavy favourites to top Group A.
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