Belinda Bencic concluded her singles group-stage play at the United Cup with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Italy's Jasmine Paolini, and secured their spot in the quarterfinals with a mixed doubles by Jakub Paul and Bencic. Belinda Bencic delivered a standout all-around performance on Sunday at the United Cup in Perth. After Flavio Cobolli levelled the contest with a dramatic deciding-set tiebreak win over Stan Wawrinka, Bencic teamed with Jakub Paul to defeat three-time major champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori 7-5, 4-6, [10-7]. "I think it just starts with the team energy," Bencic said to reporters. "We didn't see each other much before this. I think this makes such a big difference. Paolini recovered quickly and held her serve, coming back from triple break point, and then broke Bencic once more, leveling at 4-4. Just as Paolini was building momentum, Bencic, No. 11 on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, halted it. She broke Paolini with an on-the-run backhand pass down the line, one of 10 backhand winners on the evening. 11 then held her serve and took the set 6-4. She held her serve, requiring seven games points in the deuce as Bencic was a tall task, to remain a break down at 4-3. Bencic closed the match once more with her sixth break of Paolini's serve, and propelled Switzerland to a 1-0 lead. "It's very nice to get the revenge of course," Bencic said. [There] was some key moments where it was really important, because I had [gotten] a little bit in my head the last few matches, what I did wrong and some situations. Bencic is now 2-0 in singles, following her 6-2, 6-4 win over Leolia Jeanjean Saturday. Paolini will face Jeanjean in Italy's next tie against France. The 23-year-old, who helped steer his country to its third consecutive Davis Cup title in November, produced a gutsy finish to withstand spirited 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-6(4) to level the tie. Wawrinka, in his final season on tour, pulled off a dramatic third-set tie-break win over Arthur Rinderknech on Saturday. Wawrinka and Cobolli treated the RAC Arena crowd to a captivating duel deep into the deciding set, highlighted by a moment of magic from Cobolli. He steadied himself under pressure and fired a stunning forehand winner on the run to claim a mini-break in a tense final-set tie-break en route to improving to 2-0 against Wawrinka. Belinda Bencic concluded her singles group-stage play at the United Cup with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Italy's Jasmine Paolini, and secured their spot in the quarterfinals with a mixed doubles by Jakub Paul and Bencic.

The 2021 US Open champion is dealing with a foot injury according to Great Britain team captain Tim Henman.ByTENNIS.comPublished Jan 04, 2026 copy_link A foot injury that popped up at the end of Emma Raducanu's 2025 season has lingered into 2026. After nonetheless beating Japan, Great Britain will next face Greece on Monday to decide the winner of Group E."We're kind of forced to put Emma on the list because if we didn't do that, then that only gives us one option," Henman said. "The improvement that she's made has been fantastic," he added. "She's been practicing in London, really only doing static drills, to be out on the practice court and moving and playing games. Osaka won, 7-6(4), 6-1, but Great Britain took the tie on the strength of wins from Billy Harris, who himself slid in for singles after Jack Draper withdrew from the event shortly after Christmas, and the mixed doubles pair of Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski. After nonetheless beating Japan, Great Britain will next face Greece on Monday to decide the winner of Group E."We're kind of forced to put Emma on the list because if we didn't do that, then that only gives us one option," Henman said. "The improvement that she's made has been fantastic," he added. "She's been practicing in London, really only doing static drills, to be out on the practice court and moving and playing games. Osaka won, 7-6(4), 6-1, but Great Britain took the tie on the strength of wins from Billy Harris, who himself slid in for singles after Jack Draper withdrew from the event shortly after Christmas, and the mixed doubles pair of Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski. "We're kind of forced to put Emma on the list because if we didn't do that, then that only gives us one option," Henman said. "The improvement that she's made has been fantastic," he added. "She's been practicing in London, really only doing static drills, to be out on the practice court and moving and playing games. Osaka won, 7-6(4), 6-1, but Great Britain took the tie on the strength of wins from Billy Harris, who himself slid in for singles after Jack Draper withdrew from the event shortly after Christmas, and the mixed doubles pair of Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski. "The improvement that she's made has been fantastic," he added. "She's been practicing in London, really only doing static drills, to be out on the practice court and moving and playing games. Osaka won, 7-6(4), 6-1, but Great Britain took the tie on the strength of wins from Billy Harris, who himself slid in for singles after Jack Draper withdrew from the event shortly after Christmas, and the mixed doubles pair of Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski. Osaka won, 7-6(4), 6-1, but Great Britain took the tie on the strength of wins from Billy Harris, who himself slid in for singles after Jack Draper withdrew from the event shortly after Christmas, and the mixed doubles pair of Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski. Osaka instead faced Katie Swan, the world No. Osaka won, 7-6(4), 6-1, but Great Britain took the tie on the strength of wins from Billy Harris, who himself slid in for singles after Jack Draper withdrew from the event shortly after Christmas, and the mixed doubles pair of Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski. Swan, 26, nearly cracked the Top 100 back in 2022, but after missing much of 2024 with injury, contemplated retiring from tennis before returning to the tour in the back half of 2025. "I think Katie did such a good job today. You think about her journey over the last 12, 18 months, to be out there against a Grand Slam champion on a big stage like that in a huge event representing her country, I thought her performance was brilliant," Henman continued. We'll just have to wait and see." "I think Katie did such a good job today. You think about her journey over the last 12, 18 months, to be out there against a Grand Slam champion on a big stage like that in a huge event representing her country, I thought her performance was brilliant," Henman continued. We'll just have to wait and see." We'll just have to wait and see." Raducanu had previously expressed optimism for the year ahead. In Great Britain's pre-event press conference, she said she improved physically last season, which led to a resurgence back into the world's Top 30, and was hoping to keep that consistency into 2026. "I think it's easy to think ahead about results, but the days are passing so quickly when you're focused on your own session and the things that you can control," she said. It makes the days go by in a really fun way, enjoyable way, but at the same time putting in a lot of good work. "I think for me it's just about stacking the good days," she added. "I've been putting in some good practices. Even if each practice isn't as perfect as you want it to be, I think just the consistency of it is the most important thing. That's what really helped me last year. "I think it's easy to think ahead about results, but the days are passing so quickly when you're focused on your own session and the things that you can control," she said. It makes the days go by in a really fun way, enjoyable way, but at the same time putting in a lot of good work. "I think for me it's just about stacking the good days," she added. Even if each practice isn't as perfect as you want it to be, I think just the consistency of it is the most important thing. That's what really helped me last year. "I think for me it's just about stacking the good days," she added. Even if each practice isn't as perfect as you want it to be, I think just the consistency of it is the most important thing. That's what really helped me last year.

After Naomi Osaka defeated Katie Swan to briefly keep Japan alive, Great Britain's Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski clinched the deciding mixed doubles to end the campaign for Nao Hibino, Yasutaka Uchiyama and Japan in Group play. Naomi Osaka earned her first United Cup match win on Sunday, but it ultimately wasn't enough to keep Japan in the competition. Originally slated to face Emma Raducanu, Osaka instead took on Katie Swan after a late British lineup change and defeated the 26-year-old 7-6(4), 6-1 in 1 hour and 53 minutes at RAC Arena. The victory briefly pulled Japan level in its tie with Great Britain after Billy Harris defeated Shintaro Mochizuki earlier in the day. “I've never played her before and she's a really tough opponent. And to have one of the first matches of the year is definitely really tough, but I'm glad to be back here. I haven't been here since 2017, so thanks for having me.” 1 had won 78% of her first-serve points and struck six aces. Despite the loss, the match will stand as a career highlight for Swan, who has endured repeated injuries and setbacks throughout her career. "Obviously disappointed with the outcome, but I'm taking so many positives from the experience as a whole," Swan said to reporters. This time last year, I wasn't playing tennis at all." Her last WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz main-draw win came at the event, while her most recent tour-level main-draw appearance had come at Wimbledon in 2023, where she lost to Belinda Bencic. “[Winning the first set] was definitely really important,” Osaka said. So yeah, I definitely appreciated winning the first set for sure.” Earlier, Harris had steadied Great Britain after a turbulent start to the day in Perth by defeating Mochizuki 7-6(4), 6-3. “Great atmosphere…it got me through the match,” Harris said in his on-court interview. Some shaky bits in there, but I managed to close it out there in the end, so I was happy with that." The victory was his first tour-level win since defeating Dusan Lajovic at Wimbledon last July. “You're listening every changeover, and those little bits of advice can make a difference.” Before Osaka sealed Japan's first match win of the event, Mochizuki had been chasing it. But his effort was undone by inconsistency from the baseline. The 22-year-old hit 19 unforced errors in the first set alone and made just 40% (27 of 68) of his first serves overall, according to Infosys ATP Stats. In the deciding mixed doubles, Nicholls and Skupski edged Hibino and Uchiyama in a 1-hour, 46-minute nailbiter to secure victory for Great Britain. The closing stages also featured tactical use of a timeout from both captains: Japan's Go Soeda called one before Nicholls served at 6-5, and Skupski promptly netted an easy volley on the following point. Henman then returned the favour by calling a timeout of his own with Briton leading 7-6, and his doubles pair subsequently reeled off back-to-back mini-breaks before going on to clinch the tie. They went first, but it was certainly on the radar once we got into that deciding tie-break,” revealed Great Britain captain Henman in his on-court interview. “The spirit has been so good since we arrived in Perth. Their work ethic and the camaraderie has been absolutely outstanding. My request was for them to go out there and enjoy the challenge and compete for every point.” Skupski added: “Obviously it was a very up-and-down tie-break. Both captains brought out the timeout, and I was a bit confused when it all happened, but extremely proud to get through that moment. It's a great win for GB.” Nicholls and Skupski, along with the rest of their British teammates, will now prepare for Monday's clash with Team Greece in Perth. We had amazing support from the crowd,” said Nicholls. I've really enjoyed being part of this team, so it's just incredible to get the win.” After Naomi Osaka defeated Katie Swan to briefly keep Japan alive, Great Britain's Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski clinched the deciding mixed doubles to end the campaign for Nao Hibino, Yasutaka Uchiyama and Japan in Group play.

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Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski held their nerve to complete a dramatic victory against Japan on a rollercoaster day for Great Britain at the United Cup. Sunday began with the news of Emma Raducanu's withdrawal from the WTA singles match against Naomi Osaka in Perth, but it ended with Great Britain celebrating a hard-earned 2-1 triumph in their Group E opener. In between, Billy Harris downed Shintaro Mochizuki in the opening singles rubber before Osaka overcame Katie Swan to force a mixed-doubles decider. Nicholls and Skupski edged Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 in a one-hour, 46-minute nailbiter to secure victory for their country. The closing stages also featured tactical use of a timeout from both captains: Japan's Go Soeda called one before Nicholls served at 6/5, and Skupski promptly netted an easy volley on the following point. Henman then returned the favour by calling a timeout of his own with Briton leading 7/6, and his doubles pair subsequently reeled off back-to-back mini breaks before going on to clinch the tie. They went first, but it was certainly on the radar once we got into that deciding tie-break,” revealed Great Britain captain Henman in his on-court interview. “The spirit has been so good since we arrived in Perth. Their work ethic and the camaraderie has been absolutely outstanding. Skupski added: “Obviously it was a very up-and-down tie-break. Both captains brought out the time out, and I was a bit confused when it all happened, but extremely proud to get through that moment. Nicholls and Skupski, along with the rest of their British teammates, will now prepare for Monday's clash with Team Greece in Perth. We had amazing support from the crowd,” said Nicholls. “I've actually got family here who I'm staying with in Perth this week which is making it even more special. I've really enjoyed being part of this team, so it's just incredible to get the win.” Osaka passed the test, though not without complications, defeating Swan 7-6 (4), 6-1 in one hour and 53 minutes. “I've never played her before and she's a really tough opponent. And to have one of the first matches of the year is definitely really tough, but I'm glad to be back here. I haven't been here since 2017, so thanks for having me.” 1 had won 78 per cent of her first-serve points and struck six aces. Despite the loss, the match will stand as a career highlight for Swan, who has endured repeated injuries and setbacks. Her last WTA Tour main-draw win came at the event, while her most recent tour-level main-draw appearance had come at Wimbledon in 2023, where she lost to Belinda Bencic. “[Winning the first set] was definitely really important,” Osaka said. So yeah, I definitely appreciated winning the first set for sure.” Harris had earlier settled British nerves in the wake of Raducanu's morning withdrawal with a rock-solid 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph against Mochizuki. The 30-year-old quickly handed his team a welcome boost with an impressive triumph against a player 29 spots above him in the PIF ATP Rankings. “Great atmosphere… It got me through the match,” said Harris in his on-court interview. Some shaky bits in there, but I managed to close it out there in the end, so I was happy with that." Harris initially rallied from 3-5 in the opening set against Mochizuki but then failed to serve it out at 6-5. It was his first tour-level triumph since he defeated Dusan Lajovic at Wimbledon last July. “Having Tim on the bench, it's great having advice from someone like that, so you are listening every changeover and those little bits of advice can make a difference," said Harris. Mochizuki was chasing Japan's first match win of the 2026 United Cup after it fell 0-3 to Greece on Friday. However, his efforts were undermined by a wayward performance from the baseline: the 22-year-old produced 19 unforced errors in the first set alone and made just 40 per cent (27/68) of first serves overall, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc..

That's not a phrase that sits well with Stan Wawrinka as he begins his 25th and final season on the ATP Tour. But Switzerland's other tennis treasure is determined to crown - rather than tarnish - one of the finest careers of the past 20 years by doing in 2026 what he does best: fighting with all his might to win as many matches as possible. For evidence, look no further than Wawrinka's season opener at the United Cup in Perth: Toiling for three hours and 18 minutes in baking heat, the 40-year-old rallied from a set down to upset Top 30 Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in a third-set tie-break. It was a spirited victory - the 583rd of his career - that backed up his comments just one day earlier to ATPTour.com. “I'm good with my decision to announce this is my last year, but I'm not doing a year just to say goodbye,” Wawrinka said. I want to push my limit, I want to still fight against good players. “Throughout my career I do feel like I maximised everything I could; that always has been my goal and it's still on for the last year. Despite more than two decades on Tour, the three-time Grand Slam champion remains a fierce competitor at his core. Why else would he grind through 29 ATP Challenger matches in 2025 as his PIF ATP Ranking [now 157] languished well outside the Top 100 and kept him off the main tour for extended periods? “He likes the hard work and the tough lifestyle, pushing his body to the physical and mental limits,” said longtime coach Magnus Norman this week in Perth. "And he likes to perform in front of people. ATP Challengers are a far cry from the centre courts of Roland Garros and the Australian and US Opens where Wawrinka inked his legacy. Norman shared a favourite memory of Wawrinka's final Grand Slam triumph, a four-set win over Novak Djokovic in the 2016 US Open final. “He had been playing very good tennis and I thought he would have a good match, but against Novak you're not sure if it will be enough," Norman said. "I told him that no matter what happens, that I'm so proud of what he had done.” But it was what we needed because there had been a lot of tension. “They all are really special in different ways,” he said. “Australia was where I won my first Slam [against Rafael Nadal] the year after I lost the tough match to Novak in five sets. For me that was a turning point in my career. It was easy to watch French Open all day long and I had friends and family coming because it's really close to home. Victory over Djokovic on Court Philippe-Chatrier included one of the most iconic moments in modern Grand Slam finals: an around-the-net topspin backhand winner from deep and wide behind the baseline that left fans gobsmacked. “It's an amazing memory of course; at that moment I was really feeling good. “In that moment you just feel so good because it's already an amazing achievement to be in the French Open final and then to hit that shot and play so well against Novak Djokovic is something I'll always remember.” Wawrinka in action at the 2015 Roland Garros. Wawrinka has a combined 12-63 record against the Big Three - Nadal (3-19), Federer (3-23), Djokovic (6-21) - but many of the victories came when they counted most. “In his prime, if Stan had a good day no-one was safe,” Norman said. “He was really good in the big moments. I was in a Grand Slam final and the moment got to me. Wawrinka beat Nadal in the 2014 Australian Open, his first major title Wawrinka beat Federer in the 2015 Roland Garros quarter-finals en route to the title and in the 2014 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final, his lone Masters 1000 title. “All three were really difficult to play against,” he said. “You can see my record against them: I lost more than 20 times to each of them, but of course Rafa especially on clay was the toughest with him hitting high forehands into my one-handed backhand, constantly putting pressure. It's tough to generate something from there and put him under pressure. And then he had the lefty serve.” Having played through the Big Three era, Wawrinka believes the new Big Two dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is likely to endure, at least in the short to medium term. “I do believe we are in the Carlos and Jannik era; they've been proving that for a few years their level is higher than the rest of the players," said Wawrinka. "I'm not sure we will have a player to fight against them constantly, but for sure they're not gonna win every single title all the time. “I still believe they're gonna dominate this sport for the next many years. It will be really interesting to see where they're gonna end up in 5-10 years or 15 years. The thing is to challenge the Novak records, you need to last 15 years at least.” “He's like a normal good guy who has always stuck to his values," said the former World No. "He was always very humble and treated everyone the same whether he was winning or losing. I think that's a big part of why we are together after so many years. He respects everyone whether it's the ballkids, a World No. Your data will be used in accordance with the ATP Privacy Policy and WTA Privacy Policy. Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! We'll send you newsletters keeping you informed about news, tournaments, competitions, ticketing, partner offers and more. 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11 Belinda Bencic meet in Perth in a group stage rematch from last year's United Cup, while the main draw begins at the Brisbane International on Sunday. As this 2026 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz season unfurls, they are two of the most intriguing players based on their past performances -- and, going forward, what the future holds. Bencic won their first two meetings, but they played twice in 2025 with Paolini triumphing both times. It was much closer this past fall in a Ningbo quarterfinal won by Paolini 5-7, 7-5, 6-3. This is the Italian's third United Cup appearance. "Maybe some years ago I felt more pressure playing as a team,” Paolini said. "I couldn't play well in Billie Jean King Cup. Hopefully this year it's going to be the same." Originally, Japan's Naomi Osaka was scheduled to face Great Britain's Emma Raducanu, but Katie Swan will now take Raducanu's place in the women's singles match in a revised lineup. Swan, 26, plays primarily on ITF circuit, and she last competed in a tour-level event over two years ago as a wild card for the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where she lost in the first round to Bencic. "It's been a while since I've been part of the Great Britain team in any capacity," Swan said at Great Britain's media day in Perth. "Last time was probably with Tim (Henman) at the first United Cup in Sydney, and I loved every part of that experience. I'm really happy to be back here with this team." After giving birth to a daughter in the summer of 2023, Osaka has gradually rediscovered her elite game, reaching the semifinals of the 2025 US Open, suggesting she soon might be a threat in Melbourne. This is the first United Cup experience for Osaka, who looks to bounce back following a loss to Maria Sakkari on Friday. "For me, I really enjoy matches like that. I just feel like it's going to be really fun." If Sydney's opening match is any indication, we're in for a treat. The tie between China and Belgium went down to a mixed-doubles match-tiebreak with two players who had never been partners. Zhu Lin and Zhang Zhizhen stunned Elise Mertens and Zizou Bergs 5-7, 7-6 (5), 10-6 in a thriller at Ken Rosewall Arena. “It's a tough day today, especially for Triple-Z,” Zhu said of her partner. “He just finished a three-set match and didn't get too much time to rest. I lost my singles today, so at the beginning of the game I was kind of slowly into the game, and he was there to cheer me up, to tell me to believe in myself.” China again will have to dig deep on Sunday with another challenge – Canada, led by rising star Victoria Mboko and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Zhu beat Mboko in their only previous meeting, but that was more than three years ago in Monastir, Tunisia -- when Mboko was only 15 years old. 89) have split their two career matches, with Lamens winning the most recent two years ago in Osaka qualifying. Main-draw play begins Sunday at the Queensland Tennis Centre. The 16 seeds all have byes in this WTA 500 event, but there are six first-round singles matches, including one between Daria Kasatkina and Anastasia Potapova, who recently changed nationalities, to Australia and Austria, respectively. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka opens 2026 as Paula Badosa's doubles partner. 11:00 AM Celebrity One Point Slam ChallengeNB 12:00 PM D. Kasatkina (AUS) vs A. Potapova (AUT) P. Badosa (ESP) / A. Sabalenka vs L. Samsonova / S. Zhang (CHN) SHOW COURT 1 starts at 11 a.m. 11 Belinda Bencic meet in Perth in a group stage rematch from last year's United Cup, while the main draw begins at the Brisbane International on Sunday.

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