Alexander Zverev lost a memorable singles match to Alex de Minaur on Saturday evening, but returned to Ken Rosewall Arena in the early hours of Sunday morning to lead Germany to the United Cup final.
Zverev and Laura Siegemund defeated Matthew Ebden and Storm Hunter 7-6(2), 6-7(2), 15-13 past 2:15 a.m. to clinch their country's 2-1 win over Australia. Germany will face Poland, led by Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz, on Sunday evening for the trophy.
"Special thanks to Laura, I think she was the MVP today. Actually Angie was the MVP today because she saved my a**, so that was very nice," Zverev said of Angelique Kerber, who won the tie's opening match. "After the singles match it was obviously disappointing, but I thought the level of the match was extremely high. So yes you're disappointed, but we were still in the tie and we still had a chance to win it and I'm happy that we did that today."
🇩🇪 INTO THE FINAL 🇩🇪@AlexZverev and @laurasiegemund defeat Ebden/Hunter 7-6 6-7 15-13 to secure Team Germany’s spot in the #UnitedCup final! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/rLpYwnnWlx
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 6, 2024
The victors saved two match points in the Match Tie-break, with Zverev hitting a forehand winner at 9/10 and Siegemund curling a stunning lob at 11/12.
The deciding mixed doubles clash began at midnight and lasted for two hours and 19 minutes with many momentum shifts. Germany led by a set and a break, let slip their advantage and then found a way to triumph in the Match Tie-break.
"It's just very emotional. It's a team competition and it's just so nice to have the support," Siegemund said. "They played amazing singles today and all respect to Sascha, he had a really tough singles and then to come out 25 minutes later to play a really intense mixed, all respect. I think he carried this match today. I think we can just be happy to be in the final, we really deserve it."
De Minaur forced the late-night deciding mixed doubles when he rallied past two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Zverev of Germany 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 40 minutes.
“I love being back home. Thank you guys!” De Minaur said. “I’ve said it before, but every time I step out on court here it feels special. This is my favourite court in the whole world and every time I step out here I get goosebumps. I love being here and I’m very grateful for all the support.”
De Minaur earned his third consecutive win against a Top 10 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after claiming victories against American Taylor Fritz and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia. With his triumph over World No. 7 Zverev, De Minaur is now guaranteed to break into the Top 10 himself for the first time on Monday, becoming the first Australian since United Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt in July 2006 to do so.
"It’s what I’ve worked so hard for. It’s another milestone. But the job’s not done," De Minaur said. "I’m going to enjoy this Aussie summer, that’s for sure."
For a while, it seemed De Minaur would not complete his trio of trademark wins. Zverev won the first set with masterful play, controlling the ball like he had it on a string while serving well enough to keep his opponent at bay.
But like has been the case for De Minaur throughout his career, the home favourite found inspiration in Ken Rosewall Arena and the raucous Sydney crowd. On the court where he reached his first ATP Tour final in 2018 and lifted his maiden tour-level trophy the following year, De Minaur roared to life with precise aggression, taking Zverev out of his comfort zone. He won 10 of 14 net points in the second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
“I hung in there. Sascha is a hell of a competitor. He’s a hell of a player and he was just being too good for me. I managed to get out of jail a little bit in that second set, a couple break points and then I just freed up a little bit and all of a sudden got a couple cheap errors from him late in the second set and all of a sudden the whole momentum changed, the crowd got behind and I just tried to ride the wave.”
NOT SO FAST ⚡️@alexdeminaur keeps Team Australia's hopes alive by taking the second set 6-3 v. Zverev!#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/C0moedzGpF
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 6, 2024
The Australian hit a forehand winner down the line to break for 5-3 in the second set, his first break of the match. With that one shot, De Minaur secured the momentum and never relinquished it.
The seven-time ATP Tour titlist then broke to begin the third set when Zverev curled a neutral forehand wide. He finished off the match with an overhead, sending the fans into a frenzy.
In two years of the United Cup, De Minaur has upset Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and now his country is one mixed doubles win from reaching the championship clash. He trails Zverev 6-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but both wins have come in team competition.
Former No. 1 Kerber came from a set down and saved two match points to defeat Ajla Tomljanovic 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(7) in two hours, 34 minutes to earn the first win of her comeback and give Germany an early 1-0 lead over Australia.
Kerber dominated the head-to-head over Tomljanovic going into the match, having won all six sets the two previously played. Their first meeting since 2021 began with a lengthy service game that saw Kerber break through to get the early advantage. But with the partisan crowd backing her, Tomljanovic reeled off five consecutive games to build a 5-1 lead.
"Ajla played an amazing match," Kerber said. "I think we both played at a really high level. It's so great to see her back after injury last year.
"For me, it's the first singles win after coming back and it's really a great feeling."
Bidding to notch her first victory since her 18-month maternity layoff, Kerber battled back. But a poor service game ended with a forehand that drifted wide, and Tomljanovic closed out the opener after 53 minutes.
Buoyed by her three-game surge in the opening set, Kerber locked in to start the second set. She snuffed out the Australian's momentum by shifting to a more aggressive return position. The adjustment allowed Kerber to dominate Tomljanovic's service games and race through the set to force a decider.
Kerber continued her march early in the final set. With the help of two line-clipping shots, Kerber quieted the crowd and consolidated an early break to lead 2-0.
But with the home crowd behind her, Tomljanovic continued to battle back. With Kerber serving at 4-3, the World No. 292 won a lung-busting 25-shot rally to open the game. When Kerber struck her first double fault of the night at 15-40, Ken Rosewall Arena erupted and Australia was back in the mix.
After Tomljanovic broke Kerber as the German served for the win at 6-5, the match went to a deciding tie-break. From 5-3 down, Tomljanovic earned two match points with blistering backhand winners, but could not convert either chance. Given a reprieve, Kerber came back to seal the thrilling win.
