The German tennis team has reached the final of the United Cup. Olympic champions Alexander Zverev and Laura Siegemund won the decisive point for second place in the final mixed doubles with a 7:6 (7:2), 6:7 (2:7), 15:13 in the match tiebreak against Storm Hunter/Matthew Ebden :1 win against hosts Australia. The victory was not confirmed until Sunday night at 2:19 a.m. local time in Sydney.
In the final of the mixed competition on Sunday, Germany will face the Polish team with world number one Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz. Poland clearly won 3-0 in the semifinals against France, who had defeated the German team 2-1 in the group stage.
“We still have the chance to win the tournament. We are very happy,” said Zverev, who expressed special thanks to doubles partner Siegemund and also to returnee Angelique Kerber: “She saved my ass.”
Zverev had missed an earlier decision with a 7:5, 3:6, 4:6 against Alex de Minaur. It was the first individual defeat in the young season for the Hamburg player. Since Kerber had put Germany in the lead at the start with a 4:6, 6:2, 7:6 (9:7) against Ajla Tomljanovic and won her first individual match after a year and a half of maternity leave, the decision was made like the quarter-final victory the day before mixed doubles.
Kerber won a nerve-racking duel against Tomljanovic. “For me it’s the first individual victory since my comeback, it’s a really great feeling,” said the 35-year-old in an interview on the pitch: “I also tried to learn from the previous matches. Now here is such a tough duel Winning means a lot to me.”
The United Cup is considered preparation for the Australian Open in Melbourne, which begins on January 14th. Kerber is making her comeback on the tennis tour at the mixed event after the birth of her daughter Liana at the end of February 2023.
