World No. 4 Coco Gauff experienced her first-ever defeat at the United Cup on Monday, falling to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 6-0, in a surprising setback ahead of the Australian Open.
Despite the loss, Gauff quickly bounced back in mixed doubles alongside Christian Harrison, defeating Ivonne Cavalle-Reimers and Inigo Cervantes 7-6 (7/5), 6-0, securing a place in the quarterfinals for the United States. Prior to Monday, Gauff had won all six of her United Cup singles matches and held a 3-0 record in mixed doubles.
Bouzas Maneiro, ranked 42nd in the world, claimed her first-ever win over a top-five opponent. “I know Coco and she’s a fighter,” she said. “Even if you are 3-0 or 4-0 up, you have to stay ready.” Meanwhile, Gauff’s teammate Taylor Fritz, dealing with a knee issue, battled for over three hours to overcome Jaume Munar 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), saving a match point in the third-set tiebreak.
Elsewhere, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, ranked No. 3, was stunned by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, 6-3, 6-4, in Sydney. Hurkacz, returning from seven months out due to knee surgery and now ranked 83rd, described the victory as “a special moment” after a long recovery period. Poland will aim to close out the tie with Iga Swiatek facing Eva Lys.
Earlier, the Czech Republic eliminated Norway with a 3-0 win, while Great Britain and Greece faced off in later matches in Perth. The Australian Open is scheduled to begin on January 18.
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