Sydney, Australia , 1 January 2025 | Jackson Mansell

Australia and Great Britain will compete for a spot in the quarterfinals of the United Cup on Wednesday night.

The Australian team is aiming to return to their winning ways after Argentina claimed victory in the opening tie. Despite the loss, the host nation remains in contention to advance to the knockout stages for a third straight year.

In a potentially changeable scenario (for latest updates, visit United Cup.com), Australia must prevail against Great Britain to keep quarterfinal chances alive after the Brits defeated Argentina to top Group F on Monday. A sweep would ensure Australia wins the group, while a loss has them eliminated.

Should Australia win their tie 2-1, they would need a strong differential in sets and games won to either win the group or be the best second-placed finisher in Sydney. “We’ll give ourselves every chance obviously. All we can do is prepare as well as possible,” said Australian team captain Lleyton Hewitt.

“No matter what happens, it’s great preparation for these guys going into the Australian Open. That’s really important for these guys playing in front of a big crowd again, which is going to be very similar to what they’ll get down in Melbourne.”

Here are the likely matches to take place tomorrow and how each Aussie fares against their opponents.

Olivia Gadecki  (AUS) v Katie Boulter (GBR) 

Head-to-Head: Boulter leads 1-0

Plenty has changed since Boulter cruised to a 6-2 6-1 victory over the Queenslander at Surbiton in June 2023.

Both players have achieved breakout seasons in 2024. Boulter entered the top 25 for the first time after titles in San Diego and Nottingham.

Gadecki enters tonight’s battle with the world No.24 with improved weapons and greater confidence. A finals appearance in Guadalajara elevated the 22-year-olds inside the world’s top 100 in September. At No.97, she is currently Australia’s No.1 woman.

She will, however, need to improve on her performance against Nadia Podoroska on Saturday night. Despite the straight -sets loss, Hewitt was optimistic about Gadecki’s efforts.

“I thought Olivia got better as the match went on,” he said. “If we could have snuck out [of] the second set and taken it to a deciding [set], I think she would have gotten better throughout the third set.”

Alex de Minaur v Billy Harris

Head-to-Head: First meeting

De Minaur was at his dominant best against Argentina, cruising to a 6-1 6-4 win over world No.39 Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Sidelined for some of 2024 with an ongoing hip injury, the world No.9 is now fit and firing.

“It’s definitely the best I’ve felt since Wimbledon. Very happy with how the body is moving, how it’s feeling. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s feeling in the best shape it has been in a very, very long time,” he said post-match.

His next opponent is world No.125 Billy Harris, who stole a set off Etcheverry in their match on Monday. The replacement for an injured Jack Draper, Harris is enjoying competing for his country.

“I’m lucky that Jack is not ready for this week, but I’m just happy to be here and getting great matches and trying my best to get a win for the team,” said Harris.

Ellen Perez/Matthew Ebden (AUS) v Katie Boulter/Charlie Broom (GBR)

Both ranked inside the top 15 for doubles, Perez and Ebden will be hoping to use their experience on the doubles court to triumph tonight.

Despite their hiccup against Maria Lourdes Carle and Etcheverry in the previous tie, their credentials as a duo can’t be disputed.

“Mixed doubles comes down to a few points here and there. Obviously, there’s quite a lot of sudden death juice points which can go either way,” said Hewitt. “We were on the wrong side of them tonight.”

They will likely face the pairing of Katie Boulter and Charlie Broom who formed a successful partnership against Argentina. Boulter and Broom won their match 7-6(4) 7-5 to give Great Britain the perfect start to their United Cup campaign.

“The whole team chemistry is really good. We get on really well off court, so that always helps,” Broom said after representing Great Britain for the first time. “There were some tight moments in that match, and to look over and see everyone engaged and involved that was great. That sort of settled a few nerves.”

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