The atmosphere in Perth was electric as the United States punched its ticket to the United Cup quarter-finals, overcoming a dramatic group-stage challenge from Spain on Monday, January 5, 2026. With the world’s tennis elite converging in Australia for the fourth edition of this mixed-gender team tournament, the stakes couldn’t have been higher for the defending champions. The Americans, led by World No. 9 Taylor Fritz and World No. 4 Coco Gauff, faced adversity, resilience, and redemption in a day packed with twists and turns.
The United Cup, running from January 2 to 11 across the cities of Perth and Sydney, features 18 nations split into six groups. Each tie consists of three matches—one men’s singles, one women’s singles, and a mixed doubles encounter. The top team from each group, along with the best runners-up, advance to the knockout rounds, all in anticipation of the Australian Open set to begin on January 12.
Heading into Monday’s Group A clash, the United States had already edged out Argentina in their opening tie. But their hopes of topping the group and securing a straightforward path to the quarter-finals were thrown into doubt when Coco Gauff suffered a stunning three-set defeat to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The loss marked Gauff’s first ever setback at the United Cup, ending her impressive 9-0 run across singles and doubles at the event.
Bouzas Maneiro, fresh off a breakout 2025 season that saw her break into the world’s top 40 and reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, showed no signs of nerves against the American favorite. She dominated Gauff in the opening set, breaking serve in all four of Gauff’s service games and racing to a 5-0 lead. The Spaniard’s forehand was on fire, producing 11 winners and keeping Gauff on the back foot. Although Gauff clawed her way back to take the second set in a tense tiebreak, Bouzas Maneiro regrouped during a bathroom break and stormed through the decider, closing out the match 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-0 in two hours and twelve minutes.
“I know Coco and she’s a fighter,” Bouzas Maneiro said after her first career Top-5 win. “She’s there all the time in the match, so I knew that I had to be there, and even if I’m 4-1 up, I have to be there. And yeah, she won the second set and I went to the bathroom and I was trying to focus just to take it point by point. And that was my mentality in the third set. To be [there] with power every point because even if you are [up] 3-0 or 4-0, you have to be ready.”
Gauff’s loss put the Americans on the ropes, but their hopes were revived by Taylor Fritz in a marathon encounter against Jaume Munar. The do-or-die men’s singles match saw Fritz dig deep, saving a match point in a nerve-shredding third-set tiebreak. He ultimately triumphed 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(6) after three hours and fourteen minutes of grueling baseline rallies. Fritz fired 16 aces, adding to his 22 from the previous match against Baez, and showcased both power and grit despite ongoing knee tendonitis.
“It was a crazy match,” Fritz admitted. “I thought Jaume played very well. I felt I was in a lot of his service games but he played so well on so many of the big points. I had to come up with a lot to keep myself in the match or convert any of the big points. It was really tough, really physical.”
The American No. 1 even had to take a seven-minute medical timeout at 4-all in the third set to treat a bloodied toe after a desperate slide chasing a drop shot. Despite his injury and the relentless pressure from Munar, Fritz kept his cool, saving a break point in the very next game and refusing to give an inch.
“The knee is something I’m going to be dealing with for a while,” Fritz revealed. “... I started feeling it towards the end of the first set but it didn’t get any worse. Typically I start feeling it and it gets worse and worse and worse until I can’t even bend it. So I’m really happy with the fact that it stayed at the level it was at and it wasn’t bad enough to stop me from playing through.”
With the tie level at 1-1, everything came down to the mixed doubles. Gauff, looking to bounce back from her earlier disappointment, teamed up with Christian Harrison. The American duo faced Inigo Cervantes and Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers and, after rallying from an early break in the first set, clinched the match 7-6(5), 6-0. Gauff’s redemption was complete as she helped secure the crucial point that put the United States atop Group A.
The Americans’ group victory was no mere formality. Had they lost the mixed doubles, their quarter-final fate would have been left to a comparison of records among group runners-up—a risky proposition in a fiercely competitive tournament. Instead, with a perfect 2-0 tie record and a 4-2 match record, the United States finished first in Group A, ahead of Argentina and Spain, and booked their place in the knockout rounds without ambiguity.
Elsewhere in the tournament, the action remains fierce. With stars like Alexander Zverev, Iga Świątek, Félix Auger-Aliassime, and Jasmine Paolini in the mix, every match has implications for both national pride and pre-Australian Open momentum. Germany, Switzerland, and Poland are among the other favorites, with group-stage battles still unfolding in Sydney and Perth.
The United Cup’s unique format—combining men’s and women’s singles with mixed doubles—has proven a hit, both as a showcase for tennis’ top talents and as a test of team chemistry under pressure. For fans, the excitement is just beginning: quarter-finals kick off January 7, with all matches broadcast live on the Tennis Channel and other networks worldwide. The tournament’s outcome could set the tone for the Grand Slam season, giving players and fans alike a tantalizing preview of what’s to come in Melbourne.
As the dust settles in Group A, the United States stands tall, overcoming adversity and reaffirming its status as a United Cup powerhouse. With Fritz’s resilience, Gauff’s redemption, and a roster full of talent, the Americans are poised for another deep run—but with the world’s best in hot pursuit, their path to the trophy is anything but guaranteed.