Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff had it all figured out Tuesday, when they guided USA back to the United Cup quarter-finals with a win against Croatia.
The No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings Fritz eased to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Borna Coric in Perth, ensuring USA top Group A and qualify for the quarter-finals. Fritz had lost each of his four previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with Coric, but adjusted well to swing the tie against Croatia in USA’s favour.
Gauff then notched a dominant win over Donna Vekic to wrap up the tie before teaming up with Fritz to secure their second mixed doubles triumph of the week.
“I feel like I’m a completely different player from when we have played in the past," said Fritz of his singles win. "It’s great to get that win, especially after the other day [where I was] a set and break up [against Auger-Aliassime]."
Coric, the former No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings, caused Fritz trouble in the early stages with the variety he was injecting into the contest. Yet the big-hitting American bided his time and carved out the only break point of the first set in a crucial seventh game, which he converted by inserting some variety of his own. A chipped return allowed himself into the point to force an error and serve out the opener.
Fritz, the reigning US Open and Nitto ATP Finals runner-up, asserted his dominance in the second set. In the 2024 season, the 27-year-old held a 44-2 win-loss record when taking the first set, and appeared in no mood to let that run of form drop when he raced to a 4-0 lead with a double break.
Coric forged a miraculous comeback win over Felix Auger-Aliassime on Saturday, and he started to ignite hope into the Croatian fans inside RAC Arena right at the death. With Fritz serving for the match, Coric carved out his first two break points of the match, but American swiftly responded to seal the one-hour, 31-minute win.
The last time Gauff faced Donna Vekic with both players representing their respective nations, it was the Croatian who scored an upset victory on her way to winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics in August.
Yet there was no such surprise in Perth: Gauff was a comprehensive 6-4, 6-2 winner over Vekic to clinch the Americans’ second victory in as many round-robin ties at the United Cup.
"I'm really happy with how I played today," Gauff said post-match. "She's a great player, and the Olympics loss hurt, so I definitely was thinking about it today as motivation to do better.
THAT QUARTERFINALS FEELING π
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 31, 2024
Gauff defeats Vekic in straight sets 6-4 6-2 πΊπΈ#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/PIN9Va6Og0
After quickly establishing a 4-1 lead to start the match, Gauff cooled off any hopes Vekic had for a comeback under the heat of the midday sun inside RAC Arena by winning eight of the last 11 games. The American emphatically rounded into form on serve in the second set, dropping just four points behind her delivery in all.
But the 1-hour and 29-minute victory was window dressing for Team USA as far as its immediate future prospects in the competition was concerned, as Taylor Fritz’s earlier 6-3, 6-2 win over Borna Coric already ensured that the 2023 United Cup champions qualified for the quarterfinals as Group A winners, where they will face China.
Fritz and Gauff then sealed a 3-0 win for USA with their 6-2, 6-3 victory over Ivan Dodig and Petra Marcinko. The Americans saved each of the three break points they faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and broke their opponents serve on four occasions.
