Greece's top-10 stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari headline an impressive line-up at the inaugural United Cup in Perth this summer.
The countdown is on to the inaugural United Cup, with Perth’s RAC Arena hosting a week of thrilling world-class tennis from 29 December to 4 January as part of the event’s group stage.
The United Cup is an exciting mixed team event that opens the 2023 tennis season in Australia.
It marks the return of top-level professional tennis to Western Australia for the first time in three years. And to celebrate, the United Cup is serving up free day session tickets in Perth for kids 14 and under.
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If that is not enough to inspire local tennis fans to come along, here are many more reasons why the United Cup in Perth is the place to be this summer:
The No.1 seeds are in Perth
The tournament’s top seeds, Greece, are among six nations scheduled to compete at RAC Arena. They’ll be joined by Belgium and Bulgaria in Group A. Sixth seeds France landed in Group F alongside Argentina and Croatia.
Playing captains aplenty
Perth is the only city hosting a group featuring three playing captains. Petros Tsitsipas, the younger brother of world No.4 Stefanos, is the playing captain for Greece in Group A. Kirsten Flipkens, a US Open 2022 mixed doubles finalist, is Belgium’s captain, while former Australian Open semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov is leading Bulgaria.
There are four playing captains in total in Perth, with Edouard Roger-Vasselin in charge of the French team. The 39-year-old Roger-Vasselin is a Grand Slam doubles champion who has been ranked as high as world No.6 in doubles.
He was a mixed doubles finalist at the most recent Grand Slam tournament, reaching the US Open 2022 title match alongside Flipkens.Former stars as captainsPerth also boasts star power with its non-playing captains.
Former world No.1 doubles player and Australian Open 2011 doubles champion Gisela Dulko will captain the Argentina team, while Roland Garros 1997 champion Iva Majoli is leading the Croatian contingent.
A Perth reunion
Perth will welcome back several top-ranked players who have previously competed in the city. This includes Greek stars Sakkari and Tsitsipas, leading Belgium players David Goffin and Mertens, along with France’s Garcia and Alize Cornet. Dimitrov, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist, is returning for the first time in 11 years.
Exciting debuts
There are also several accomplished players making their first competitive appearances in Perth. Diego Schwartzman (Argentina), Borna Coric (Croatia), Petra Martic (Croatia), Donna Vekic (Croatia) and Flipkens (Belgium), who have all achieved top-20 singles rankings during their careers, are among the first-time visitors sure to impress fans.
Playing captains aplenty
Perth is the only city hosting a group featuring three playing captains. Petros Tsitsipas, the younger brother of world No.4 Stefanos, is the playing captain for Greece in Group A. Kirsten Flipkens, a US Open 2022 mixed doubles finalist, is Belgium’s captain, while former Australian Open semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov is leading Bulgaria.
There are four playing captains in total in Perth, with Edouard Roger-Vasselin in charge of the French team. The 39-year-old Roger-Vasselin is a Grand Slam doubles champion who has been ranked as high as world No.6 in doubles. He was a mixed doubles finalist at the most recent Grand Slam tournament, reaching the US Open 2022 title match alongside Flipkens.
Former stars as captains
Perth also boasts star power with its non-playing captains. Former world No.1 doubles player and Australian Open 2011 doubles champion Gisela Dulko will captain the Argentina team, while Roland Garros 1997 champion Iva Majoli is leading the Croatian contingent.
Exciting debuts
There are also several accomplished players making their first competitive appearances in Perth. Diego Schwartzman (Argentina), Borna Coric (Croatia), Petra Martic (Croatia), Donna Vekic (Croatia) and Flipkens (Belgium), who have all achieved top-20 singles rankings during their careers, are among the first-time visitors sure to impress fans.