The new tennis season has kicked off with the United Cup Tournament 2024, where players are already facing challenging conditions on the court. This year marks the tournament's third edition, featuring mixed-gender teams from 16 nations competing on hard courts across Australia.
On the opening day of the tournament, Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia faced off against China’s Gao Xinyu in a much-anticipated match. Despite being ranked 17th, Haddad Maia encountered unexpected difficulties against her opponent, who was only 170th worldwide and stepped in as a late replacement for the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwin.
The match was intense from the outset, with Gao managing to secure the first set 7-5. Haddad Maia rallied back but struggled significantly as the match progressed, dropping the second set 6-4 after battling through cramping issues. The challenge escalated during the third set when Haddad Maia found herself physically hindered and resorted to using underarm serves, signaling her distress.
Usually, when players experience pain, they can call for medical timeouts. Unfortunately for Haddad Maia, cramps are classified as conditioning problems, complicates matters since the match had already extended to nearly three hours—an arduous start to her 2024 season.
Both players displayed impressive endurance, with the match turning out to be the longest of the United Cup’s history, clocking in at three hours and 20 minutes. Despite her struggles, Haddad Maia continued to battle but eventually succumbed as Gao captured the final set 7-5, handing Brazil yet another loss.
The situation worsened for Brazil as they were completely outplayed by the Chinese team. Zhang Zhizhen dominated Thiago Monteiro, winning 6-3, 6-0. To add to Brazil's woes, Zhang Shuai and Zhizhen also won the doubles match against Carolina Alves and Rafael Matos with scores of 6-4, 7-5.
Now, with their next match against Germany scheduled for December 29, Haddad Maia is set for another two matches. First up is her singles match against Laura Siegemund, followed by teaming up with Matos to form a doubles partnership to take on the same German opponent along with Alexander Zverev.