On January 8th, in Sydney, Australia, the Belgian tennis team advanced to the semi-finals of the United Cup after defeating the Czech Republic 2-0 in the quarter-finals, with Zizou Bergs and Elise Mertens both achieving impressive victories.
In the men's singles match, Zizou Bergs caused a major upset by defeating Jakub Mensik, the world number 18 ranked player. Playing confidently and effectively, Bergs won in two sets with scores of 6-2 and 7-6(4). Mensik had a lot of difficulties in the second set when he repeatedly made double faults, while Bergs maintained his composure in the tie-break to close out the match.
According to statistics, the world number 42 player had 4 aces and only needed 31 minutes to win the first set. Notably, this was Bergs' second consecutive victory against a top 20 opponent in this year's tournament, after he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada, world number 5) in the group stage.
Speaking after the match, Zizou Bergs said: “At crucial moments, the pressure is immense. I had to adjust my playing style to avoid being drawn into a defensive approach. This is a very meaningful victory for me personally and for the whole team.”
In the subsequent women's singles match, Elise Mertens continued to demonstrate her prowess by defeating Barbora Krejcikova in three tense sets with a score of 5-7, 6-1, and 7-5. The former world number one doubles player played persistently, exploiting Krejcikova's mistakes, especially in the deciding set when her opponent committed seven double faults.
Elise Mertens said she took a more aggressive approach to turn the tide of the match. “I’m so happy I was able to turn the tide. Zizou’s victory in the men’s singles helped me play with a more relaxed mindset,” Mertens shared.
With this result, Belgium will face Switzerland in the semi-finals of the United Cup. In the other bracket, host nation Australia will play Poland on January 9th to compete for a place in the semi-finals against the USA.
According to the United Cup format, each match between two national tennis teams consists of three games: men's singles, women's singles, and mixed doubles. The team that wins two of the three events will be the overall winner. This format not only emphasizes the all-around strength of each team but also creates excitement and drama, as the outcome can be decided in the final mixed doubles match.
The United Cup is a mixed team tennis tournament featuring 18 national teams, held in Perth and Sydney. It serves as an important warm-up tournament before the Australian Open – the first Grand Slam of the year, where top world players aim to conquer the major title at the start of the season.