Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas got Greece off to a flying start at the United Cup in Perth with a 3-0 win over Japan on Friday night.
It’s been a rough few months for me. I was in a lot of uncertainty, and I was not sure if I could really compete, so, to see myself at that level again, and showing some really good tennis, is something I’m grateful for. Let’s keep it going. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Both former World No 3s endured a challenging 2025, but are on the march at the start of this new season, both scoring straight set wins in their opening tie of Group E.
Sakkari claimed a commanding 6-4 6-2 win over Naomi Osaka to put Greece 1-0 up, although the Japanese reportedly wasn’t at her full best following a recent illness, but the result will surely boost the Greek’s confidence.
“You’re always very hesitant when you come in that first match, because sometimes you can trick yourself that you had a good pre-season, and then you have high expectations to come out and do everything,” Sakkari told reporters after the match. “I really forced myself not to think like that. I think that was the key. Just went out there, tried to do the things that I worked on and, you know, we keep building and we can keep trying to improve.”
She shook off any lingering disappointment from last year’s early round-robin exit, and powered Greece to a fast start with an impressive win over Osaka, a 4-time Grand Slam champion and current World No 16.
Facing Osaka for the first time in nearly 5 years, Sakkari struck first in the opener, racing out to a 2-0 lead with a hold and an early break of the Japanese’s opening service game.
Although, Osaka broke back immediately, Sakkari reclaimed the advantage and closed out the set, painting the line with a backhand winner to set up a 3rd set point, which she promptly converted.
“[There were] a lot of backhand winners, but a lot of backhand errors as well,” Sakkari said. “I have to allow myself to miss in order for me to make a lot of winners. It was all about who was going to take the backhand line. It was all about who was going to get that good crosscourt ball in order to get down the line.”
They traded holds at the start of the second, before Sakkari erased 2 break points for a 2-1 lead.
She then managed to break Osaka again to move ahead, 3-1, and maintained control from there, sealing her 3rd win in 6 meetings with the former World No 1 after in an hour and 38 minutes to even their head-to-head and, more importantly, give Greece the 1-0 lead in the tie.
“Honestly, I thought it wasn’t a bad first match for what it was,” said Osaka, who said she has been battling an aggressive cold. “I definitely could have been more aggressive on the returns, and I think I did that a little bit towards the end, but [I’m] learning not to be afraid of mistakes, and, kind of, just going for it from the beginning.”
Maria Sakkari agreed to marry Konstantinos Mitsotakis over Christmas
© Maria Sakkari/Instagram
Sakkari was congratulated on her recent engagement to her long-time boyfriend, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, the son of the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, just before departing for Australia.
The couple started dating 5 years ago, and while Sakkari didn’t publicly share the engagement news, it was revealed during the PM’s conversation with fellow Greek politicians at the start of the year, when he described his future daughter-in-law as ‘an exceptional young woman’ and revealed that the wedding was planned for 2027.
Sakkari is now wearing an impressive engagement ring from the Mitsotakis family, which previously belonged to the groom-to-be’s mother, Mareva Mitsotaki.
“I am a very lucky girl to have a partner whom I love and who loves me. He is exceptional, he gives me strength and courage,” she said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas sealed the win for Greece with a straight sets win over Shintaro Mochizuki of Team Japan on Friday night in Perth, Australia
© Paul Kane/Getty Images
On Friday, Tsitsipas also launched his own 2026 campaign on a positive note, guiding Greece across the finish line.
Playing his first match since last September after a layoff caused by a back injury, Tsitsipas looked strong in a commanding 6-3 6-4 win over Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki.
“It’s been a rough few months for me,” Tsitsipas said. “I was in a lot of uncertainty, and I was not sure if I could really compete, so, to see myself at that level again, and showing some really good tennis, is something I’m grateful for. Let’s keep it going.”
After a 2nd-round loss to Matteo Gigante at Roland Garros last year, Tsitsipas dropped outside the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time since August 2018.
He battled a back injury throughout last season, briefly worked with Goran Ivanisevic before rehiring his father, Apostolos, as his coach, and now looks refreshed and purposeful, striking the ball with conviction in his first career meeting with the 22-year-old Mochizuki, the World No 99.
Once a Top 10 fixture, Tsitsipas now sits at No 36 in the world and has targeted a return to a major final in 2026, having previously reached that stage at Roland Garros in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2023.
In the mixed-doubles match, Sakkari & Tsitsipas defeated Nao Hibino & Yasutaka Uchiyama, 6-2 6-3, to complete the 3-0 sweep for Greece, giving them an early advantage over Japan and Great Britain in Group E.
Team Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt (2nd L) speaks at a press conference alongside players John-Patrick Smith (R), Storm Hunter and Alex de Minaur (L) ahead of the United Cup in Sydney on Friday, but Maya Joint was absent due to illness
© Izhar Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Meanwhile, hosts Australia’s hopes of beginning their campaign on 3 January with a win against Norway suffered a setback as Maya Joint was ordered to rest on Friday due to illness.
“I haven’t spoken to her because she’s resting, so [she’s] just trying to get as much sleep and rest as possible today,” team captain Lleyton Hewitt told reporters in Sydney on Friday. “Hopefully it’s only a 24-hour thing, and she can bounce back tomorrow.”
Joint, ranked 32, is the overwhelming favourite against World No 532 Malene Helgo, with Norway led by by 3-time Grand Slam finalist, Casper Ruud, who will face Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
While it would not be a disaster if Joint were to miss out on the opening tie, Australia still would want to see her make her debut in front of a home crowd.
If she is proven to be too unwell to compete, then World No 164 Maddison Inglis will step in against Helgo.
Australia, who are drawn in Group D with Norway and Czechia, will be in action on Saturday night in Sydney.
If Joint is not up to her usual standards, the good news is that Australia have slightly longer to wait ahead of their 2nd and final group stage fixture against Czechia, who field 2-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, while de Minaur will face the talented Jakub Mensik.
A mixed doubles tie could be needed to resolve a draw in the singles matches, and, should this prove necessary, then Australia can boast former World No 1 Storm Hunter, who is trying to get back to the heights she once reached before rupturing her Achilles tendon in 2024.
Go Soeda, Naomi Osaka, Nao Hibino, Shintaro Mochizuki and Yasutaka Uchiyama of Team Japan posing during a media opportunity ahead of their United Cup campaign
© Paul Kane/Getty Images for Tennis Australia