Pegula, Tiafoe give US big Cup final lead

Darren Walton | January 8, 2023

Team USA have taken a 2-0 stranglehold over the United Cup final against Italy in Sydney.

Jessica Pegula continued her hot summer to give the US a perfect start with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Martina Trevisan before Lorenzo Musetti retired injured after losing the first set 6-2 against Frances Tiafoe. 

The back-to-back defeats leave 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini needing to topple world No.9 Taylor Fritz in Sunday’s third singles match to keep Italy’s hopes alive in the best-of-five tie at Ken Rosewall Arena.

Despite the dominant end scoreline, world No.3 Pegula didn’t have it all her own way against the 27th-ranked Trevisan.

Trevisan, who took down world No.1 Maria Sakkari in Italy’s semi-final defeat of Greece, troubled Pegula in the opening set with her fearless power hitting.

Pegula, though, kept her cool and gained the fifth and final service break of the set to seize the ascendancy.

Reeling off seven straight games, Pegula skipped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set but the left-handed Trevisan rallied once more before Pegula closed out the match after 90 minutes.

“Definitely very relieved,” Pegula said.

“First match of the day, first match of the final and Martina’s playing great.

“She’s a fighter, she’s competing and I feel like she’s thriving off the atmosphere here with the fans and her team and it’s really hard to beat someone like that.”

Highlighted by a stunning upset of world No.1 Iga Swiatek, Pegula has now won four straight singles matches at the new mixed teams’ event, plus four mixed doubles encounters in an impressive Australian Open build-up.

Tiafoe has been equally strong, with the 2022 US Open semi-finalist preserving his unbeaten record in the event with a fifth singles triumph to go with one mixed doubles win.

Madison Keys, also a winner of her previous four singles matches, is scheduled to play Lucia Bronzetti after the Fritz-Berrettini clash.  

Fritz and Pegula are slated to play Berrettini and Trevisan in the mixed doubles, if the tie is still alive after the four singles rubbers.