Gauff and Fritz headline USA squad for United Cup in Australia
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Gauff and Fritz headline USA squad for United Cup in Australia")
Gauff and Fritz headline USA squad for United Cup in Australia Photograph: (Reuters)
The United States will defend its United Cup title with Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz leading the team in the mixed-team event in Australia, which kicks off the 2026 tennis season ahead of the Australian Open.
The United States will begin its United Cup title defence with a strong squad as Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff lead the team once again in the mixed-team tournament set to open the 2026 tennis season in Australia. World No. 3 Coco Gauff and sixth-ranked Taylor Fritz will headline the American challenge when the United Cup gets underway on January 2 in Perth and Sydney.
The event is the only tournament that brings together ATP and WTA players in a team format and also serves as key preparation ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on January 18 in Melbourne. Eighteen nations will compete in the tournament, with each team featuring one male and one female singles player. The teams have been divided into six groups of three, with round-robin matches deciding who advances.
The top team from each group, along with the best second-placed side, will move into the quarter-finals. The semi-finals and final will be played in Sydney on January 10 and 11. Each tie will include three matches: one men’s singles, one women’s singles, and a mixed doubles contest. All matches will be played on hard courts.
The United States enters the tournament as defending champions after beating Poland 2-0 in the 2025 final. The Americans had also won the inaugural United Cup in 2023, while Germany claimed the title in 2024. With Gauff and Fritz returning, the U.S. will once again be seen as one of the teams to beat.
Poland is expected to pose a strong challenge this year, led by world No. 2 Iga Swiatek alongside Hubert Hurkacz, a former top-10 player. Other teams will also look to make an impact as the competition brings together several of the world’s best players early in the season.
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The United States has been placed in Group A and will play its group matches in Perth. The team will face Argentina on January 3 before taking on Spain on January 5. Spain’s presence adds extra interest, especially with its strong tennis tradition.
