Kazakhstan's 2-1 Victory Over Spain in United Cup, Powered by Rybakina's Stellar Performance

Kazakhstan's 2-1 Victory Over Spain in United Cup, Powered by Rybakina's Stellar Performance

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan delivered an outstanding performance in her United Cup debut, leading her team to a 2-1 victory over Spain. The tournament is taking place in Perth, Australia, as the 2025 season opener.

The 25-year-old Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, defeated Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2, 6-3 to level the match. Earlier, Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta had given his team the lead by beating Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko 6-2, 6-1.

Rybakina then teamed up with Shevchenko in the mixed doubles event, securing the victory by defeating Carreno Busta and Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (2-7), 10-7, sealing the win for Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan will advance to the quarterfinals from Group C if they defeat Greece in their next match on Monday.

Rybakina, who recently hired 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic as her new coach, said after the match, "The first match is always tough. It’s not easy to adapt so quickly, but I’m quite pleased with my performance today."

The 18-team mixed tournament will continue in Perth and Sydney until January 5, 2025.

Great Britain will play their first group match against Argentina on Monday, followed by a match against host Australia on Wednesday. In this match, Britain's top women's player Katie Boulter will face her fiancé, Australian star Alex de Minaur.

The Australian Open, the year's first Grand Slam, is scheduled to begin on January 12.