At the end of the Australian night, Germany beat Australia (2-1) to join Poland in the final of the United Cup, which eliminated France on Saturday in this mixed team competition in Sydney.
However, Alex De Minaur, 12th player in the world, beat world 7th Alexander Zverev to allow Australia to equalize at 1-1 in this hotly contested semi-final. De Minaur initially lost the first set before finally winning 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
The German Angelique Kerber, back at 35 on the courts after the birth of her daughter last February, opened the scoring by winning against the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (292nd in the world) in three sets also 4-6, 6- 2, 7-6 (9/7).
We therefore had to wait for the outcome of the mixed doubles to know the identity of the winner. And this time, Zverev took his revenge: associated with Laura Siegemund, the German pair resisted the Australian, composed of Matthew Ebden and Storm Hunter, after two sets and a super tie break which lived up to its name 7-6 ( 7/2), 6-7 (2/7), 15-13.
Although he will not play the final, the Australian De Minaur remains one of this week’s winners. On Saturday, he won his third consecutive victory against a Top 10 player, after his success against the American Taylor Fritz and especially against the Serbian Novak Djokovic, world No. 1.
One week before the Australian Open, De Minaur is guaranteed to enter the Top 10 for the first time on Monday. He will be the first from his country to do so since July 2006 with Lleyton Hewitt, now captain of the national team for this United Cup, according to the competition website.
Earlier on Saturday, France lost clearly and logically against Poland 3-0.
Hubert Hurkacz, world No.9, first beat Adrian Mannarino (world 22) 6-3, 7-5. Then world No.1 Iga Swiatek dismissed, in three sets this time, Caroline Garcia (20th in the world) 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. In mixed doubles, the pair Katarzyna Kawa/Jan Zielinski dominated the French duo Elixane Lechemia/Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-3.
This time falling to those stronger than them, the Blues stopped after a good run in Australia, thanks in large part to Garcia.
The No.20 in the WTA rankings won this week against the German Angelique Kerber, the Italian Jasmine Paolini (29th) and the Norwegian Malene Helgoe (544th). In doubles, she also won, associated with Edouard Roger-Vasselin, against Zverev and Kerber (Germany), Ruud and Eikeri (Norway).
A good omen for the former 4th in the world, before the first Grand Slam of the season in Melbourne.