There have been three ties in Sydney so far at this edition of the United Cup, and they all have gone to a deciding mixed doubles. On Sunday afternoon, Czechia emerged victorious in Group B action with a 2-1 win against Norway.
Casper Ruud gave his country a chance with a gruelling three-set triumph against Tomas Machac. But the Czech star quickly returned to Ken Rosewall Arena and partnered Karolina Muchova past Viktor Durasovic and Ulrikke Eikeri 6-4, 6-4 to clinch the tie.
"After the singles, I was not even thinking that I would not play mixed doubles," Machac said. "I like to play doubles, especially mixed doubles with Kaia. Kaia is [an] unbelievable player. I was looking forward to play... We were playing great. I was happy with that."
It is no surprise that Machac performed well in mixed doubles. He partnered Katerina Siniakova to the mixed doubles gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
While Norway battled hard to get back on serve in the second set, they were never able to fully seize the momentum. The Czechs held to love to the delight of their Team Zone.
The Norwegians will try to bounce back quickly when they face defending finalist Poland on Monday. The Czechs will take on the Poles on Wednesday.
Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Ruud, the No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings needed nearly three hours to battle past Machac 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 inside Ken Rosewall Arena and keep his country's hopes alive in its season-opening Group B tie.
"It's what you expect for every match," Ruud said. "You kind of hope that it won't be that tough, but what a way to start the new season."
In the 2024 edition of the mixed-teams event, Ruud won all three of his singles matches to help Norway reach the quarter-finals. The 26-year-old is off to another good start, even if he faced nine break points, saving six of them, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
"If every match is going to be this tough, it's going to be a tough [season]," Ruud said. "But happy to start the new season and great to be back in Sydney. I have a lot of good memories from this particular court. I like playing here and I love playing in front of the crowd here."
Ruud and Machac are two of the best baseliners on the ATP Tour and their effort showed throughout. Ruud was visited by the ATP physiotherapist for his quad and in ensuing changeovers Norwegian captain — and Casper's father — Christian Ruud massaged his left quad. Machac did not have it easy himself, shaking out his elbow on multiple occasions.
Machac cracked a bold forehand winner to take the second set and force a decider. But Ruud broke his opponent's serve early in the third set and was able to hold on and take a 3-0 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Muchova got the Czech Republic off to a winning start with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Norway's Malene Helgø.
Twelve months ago, Muchova missed the Australian swing as a result of a wrist injury that required surgery, one she only returned to the match court from six months ago. But the 2023 Roland Garros finalist was sharp from the first ball in her opening match of 2025, outclassing the World No.404 in little more than an hour.
Muchova broke serve four times in just one hour and 17 minutes, losing her own serve just once, and won more than 50 per cent of the points played in Helgø's service games.
While Helgø led just once in the match — she broke Muchova's serve to start the second set — she showed a competitive spirit on more than one occasion. She saved three set points in the last game of the opening set before losing it, and also saved a match point in a multi-deuce game before succumbing to defeat.
More than a year removed from her career-high ranking of No. 317, the 25-year-old Helgø is still seeking her first win in United Cup. She made her tour-level debut at the competition in 2023, and is now 0-6 all-time in United Cup singles matches.
