De Minaur, Gadecki shine, but Australia falls short in United Cup

Australia’s United Cup tennis journey ended in heartbreak on Wednesday, despite a strong 2-1 victory over Great Britain in their final Group F matchup.

The three-way tie in Group F, with Australia, Argentina, and Great Britain all finishing with a 1-1 record and three match wins, came down to the percentage of sets won.

Great Britain edged out the competition to advance to the knockout stage, while Australia and Argentina were eliminated.

Great Britain took an early lead in the matchup when Katie Boulter dominated Olivia Gadecki, securing a 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Alex de Minaur kept Australia’s hopes alive with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 win over Billy Harris, setting the stage for the decisive mixed doubles match.

Needing to defeat Olivia Nicholls and Charles Broom while dropping no more than four games, de Minaur and Gadecki fell short.

The Australian pair lost the match 6-3, 7-6(3), ending their hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals.

Despite the outcome, de Minaur was pleased with Australia’s effort.

“It was great,” he said.

“I enjoyed every second we had here on this Sydney court. I enjoyed playing mixed with Liv a lot. It was a lot of fun, great atmosphere, thank you guys. We did our best. As I said, always a pleasure to play at home.”

Gadecki echoed her teammate’s sentiments, saying,

“I’m so glad I got to share the court with Alex tonight. It was such a pleasure, and I knew I had to step up.”

Looking ahead, de Minaur will compete at the Australian Open, starting Sunday, January 12, in Melbourne.

He is listed at +5000 to win his first Grand Slam title with the top online betting sites.

Meanwhile, Gadecki faces a tougher challenge, entering the tournament as a long shot at +30000 with Bovada to claim the women’s championship.

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