SYDNEY: Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz all clocked impressive wins Tuesday as tennis powerhouses Italy and the United States surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup.
World number three Gauff swept past Croatia´s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — the 2023 winners — into a last-eight clash with China.
Elena Rybakina´s Kazakhstan meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form fourth-ranked Paolini demolished France´s Chloe Paquet 6-0, 6-2 to help steer an Italian team missing Jannik Sinner into the knockout round with their opponent yet to be decided.
Iga Swiatek´s Poland play the Czech Republic on Wednesday in a bid to join them, while Britain take on Australia. World number four Fritz got the ball rolling for the US, adapting his game to Coric´s approach.
“At the start he was hitting well and staying with me from the baseline. It was tough to hurt him,” he said. “But I tried to make fewer mistakes and let him make a couple — that was the difference.”
“It was just great to get the win, good…
