Zverev leads Germany over Italy at United Cup

SYDNEY — Alexander Zverev led Germany to a 2-1 win over Italy whereas the Netherlands gained the decisive combined doubles to beat Norway within the United Cup group stage on Saturday.

Zverev got here from behind to beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 and teamed with Angelique Kerber to win the decisive combined doubles towards Sorengo and Angelica Moratelli 6-3, 6-0.

“We’re each extraordinarily glad, the entire crew is extraordinarily glad,” Zverev mentioned. “Angie performed nice in combined and her singles was a excessive degree in her first match again.”

Kerber, the three-time Grand Slam singles winner, performed her first match since giving beginning in February. She misplaced to Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 7-5.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek helped top-seeded Poland achieve an unassailable 2-0 lead towards Brazil, which misplaced for the second time in two days.

Swiatek rolled towards Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 6-2 in her first match of the season, and Hubert Hurkacz recovered to beat Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3 in 2 1/2 hours.

The winner of Monday’s match between Poland and Spain will undergo to the quarterfinals.

In Sydney, Arantxa Rus gave the Dutch an early lead by defeating Malene Helgø in two units, then Casper Ruud leveled the Group F tie for Norway by beating Tallon Griekspoor in two.

Dutch pair Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof then topped the combined doubles towards Ruud and Ulrikke Eikeri 7-6 (5), 7-5.

In Group E in Perth, China raced to 2-0 towards the Czech Republic after Zhang Zhizhen rallied to beat Jiri Lehecka 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and Zheng Qinwen upset No. 7-ranked Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 2-6, 6-1. The Chinese language pair then sealed a clear sweep within the combined doubles.

Combined groups from 18 international locations are enjoying in Perth and Sydney in what doubles as a warmup for the Australian Open. The format is a males’s and girls’s singles and a combined doubles.

On Sunday, males’s No. 1 Novak Djokovic returns to Perth for the primary time because the 2013 Hopman Cup when he leads Serbia in its first group match towards China.