France, led by Caroline Garcia, beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev 2-1, thanks to its success on Monday in Sydney after a thrilling mixed doubles during the United Cup, a team tennis competition mixed nationals.
The French team, eliminated in the group stage last year, will play its qualification game on Wednesday for the quarterfinals against Italy, beaten in the opener by Germany.
For its entry into Group D, France struck a major blow by dominating the team of world No.7, Alexander Zverev. She owes it largely to Caroline Garcia, victorious in singles against Angelique Kerber 1-6, 6-2, 6-2, then in doubles, associated with Edouard Roger-Vasselin against Zverev and Kerber 7-6 (7/4) , 2-6, 12-10.
In a match that lasted 1 hour 45 minutes, the French pair had to save a match point at 9/10 in the super tie-break, then needed three match points to conclude.
“Crazy match, crazy outcome. So happy that we succeeded,” said Edouard Roger-Vasselin courtside. “Obviously losing the second set was difficult for us after winning the tie-break in the first. But we came back very present on each point,” added Caroline Garcia.
The French competition began with the 6-4, 4-6, 3-6 defeat of Adrian Mannarino, 22nd in the ATP, against Zverev. But Garcia, 20th in the world, revived the French team during the second singles match against Kerber, 35, back on the courts after the birth of her daughter in February.
After missing the first set, conceded 6-1 in 24 minutes, the Lyonnaise, former world No.4, found her tennis again to easily pocket the next two by the same score (6-2).
Earlier, Mannarino had experienced an opposite scenario to that of Garcia, winning the first set against Zverev before suffering the return of the German, double winner of the Masters in 2018 and 2021 and finalist of the US Open in 2020 .
The United Cup brings together eighteen nations in six pools divided between Sydney and Perth. The first in each group and the two best runners-up will face each other in the quarter-finals.