Coco Gauff triumphed over Maria Sakkari as the United States advanced to the semi-finals of the United after defeating Greece 2-1 in Perth on Wednesday and later secured victory in the doubles match. Afrosport reports.
Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion defeated Sakkari 6-3 6-2 in one hour and 26 minutes, putting the U.S. ahead. The 21-year-old had previously lost in three sets to world number 42 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro during the match against Spain in Group A on Monday. However, she started strong against Sakkari, quickly establishing a 5-0 lead.
Sakkari fought back, winning three consecutive games, but Gauff managed to hold her serve to take the first set and then broke the Greek player twice in the second set to secure the win. Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas then achieved a 6-4 7-5 victory over world number nine Taylor Fritz, leveling the match.
The 27-year-old did not have much time to celebrate his first top 10 win since 2024, as he returned to the court just half an hour later with Sakkari to face Gauff and Christian Harrison. The momentum shifted dramatically in the hard-fought decider, with each team winning a set, leading to a tiebreak.
The U.S. surged to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak, and although the Greek duo fought back to tie at 6-6, a perfectly executed volley from Harrison slipped through Tsitsipas’s legs, clinching a 4-6 6-4 10-8 victory.
The 18-nation event in Perth and Sydney serves as a precursor to this month’s Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season.
