Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic suffered a shock loss to Alex De Minaur in the United Cup, ending his 43-match winning run in Australia. Djokovic, who was preparing for a tilt at his 11th Melbourne Park title, dropped serve to give De Minaur a 4-3 advantage in the second set. Although Djokovic saved three match points later, he was unable to prevent the upset loss ahead of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, which takes place later this month.
De Minaur, ranked number 12 in the world, described the victory as extremely special and acknowledged Djokovic’s immense contribution to the sport. He said, Novak’s an unbelievable competitor and what he’s done for the sport is pretty special. It feels surreal, it feels amazing and I’m happy to do it here in Perth and in Australia. Ultimately when you go against Novak, you’ve just got to go out there, try and enjoy, back yourself, and no matter what, keep fighting till the end. Today was my day. I’m happy I was able to get the win. This one definitely means a lot.
In other matches, top seeds Poland made it to the semi-finals of the 18-team event by defeating China. Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek secured victories for Poland. Hurkacz defeated Zhang Zhizhen 6-3 6-4, while Swiatek fought back from 2-0 down in the first set to beat Zheng Qinwen 6-2 6-3. It was Swiatek’s third consecutive singles win in the tournament, which she is using to prepare for the Australian Open.
France also made it to the quarter-finals with a victory over Italy. Caroline Garcia and Adrian Mannarino were instrumental in guiding their team to success. Garcia, ranked number 20 in the world, defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-4 5-7 6-4, while Mannarino beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 6-4 in their Group D tie.
In Group B, Greece took a 1-0 lead over Canada with Stefanos Tsitsipas winning his first singles match of the season. Tsitsipas, the Australian Open runner-up, defeated Steven Diez 6-2 6-3.
The United Cup matches continue to showcase fierce competition as players gear up for the Australian Open. The outcomes of these matches serve as indicators of form and provide valuable preparation for the players ahead of the Grand Slam tournament.
