PERTH (AP) – Kazakhstan has advanced to the United Cup mixed teams tennis tournament semifinals with a 2-1 win over a German team playing without the injured world number two-ranked Alexander Zverev.
Zverev was a late scratch for Germany yesterday due to a biceps injury. He was scheduled to face Alexander Shevchenko but withdrew at the last minute with Kazakhstan leading the tie 1-0 after Elena Rybakina beat Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-1.
Shevchenko beat Zverev’s replacement, Daniel Masur, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2 to clinch the tie for Kazakhstan while Zverev watched from the sidelines. Germany won the later mixed doubles.
Shevchenko took a medical timeout due to heat exhaustion while leading 1-0 in the second set. He came back from the break to dominate the rest of the match.
“It was a heat problem for sure,” Shevchenko said. “I had a bit of a headache, my head was spinning. It was a struggle this match. To play in this heat was so tough.”
In Sydney, Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurcacz won their deciding mixed doubles match over the Czech Republic to qualify Poland for the quarter-finals.
World number two Swiatek and Hurcacz beat Tomáš Macháč and Karolína Muchová 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the decider at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena. The Polish team led 5-2 before allowing the Czechs back into the first set.
In earlier singles, Macháč gave the Czech Republic the lead with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 win over Hurcacz before Swiatek evened the tie with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Muchová.
Yesterday in Sydney also saw Britain played Australia for a place in the quarter-finals. In women’s singles, Katie Boulter gave Britain a 1-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Olivia Gadecki. Alex de Minaur was scheduled to play Billy Harris in men’s singles in an effort to level the tie for Australia.
In the mixed doubles, Boulter was scheduled to play but not de Minaur for Australia.
The two players are engaged to be married.
In Sydney, Italy earlier won Group D to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Winners of the past two Davis Cups and runners-up two years ago to the US in the inaugural edition of the season-opening mixed teams’ event, Italy won its group without world number one Jannik Sinner.
All tournament play shifts to Sydney from today through to Sunday’s final.
