Alex de Minaur, Iga Swiatek headline big names in United Cup

Alex de Minaur will lead Australia’s team in a star-studded Australian Open warm-up event that includes seven of the women’s world top 10.

Alex de Minaur says he’s excited to revisit the scene of his exhilarating run into the world top 10 when he leads Australia into the United Cup over the new year period.

De Minaur will play alongside Australian women’s No.1 Olivia Gadecki in the mixed tournament, which will feature seven players from the women’s top 10 and four from the men’s.

De Minaur returned from a hip injury with a win to reach the quarter-finals of the European Open on Wednesday and could yet play for Australia in November’s Davis Cup finals.

The 25-year-old said he had “good memories” from his remarkable 2024 United Cup, where he joined the world top 10 for the first time by beating three members in a week: Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev.

Alex de Minaur celebrates after defeating Novak Djokovic in Perth in a United Cup singles tie in January. Picture: Colin Murty / AFP

“I’m very excited to play, it’s going to be a lot of fun. I had some good memories this year, that’s where I cracked the top 10 for the very first time. Any chance you get to represent Australia is always a lot of fun,” de Minaur said.

“It’s something quite unique (the United Cup) – you don’t do it too often, you have two singles and a mixed doubles. It’s something completely different for the fans, a lot of fun to watch and to be a part of and I’m looking forward to competing.

“The Aussie team energy is always great. We support each other, we have each other’s back. We are just there for each other. The bench is always quite loud and quite vocal and I think it brings the best out of Aussie athletes, just being in a team environment.”

The tournament will begin with six groups of three nations – one half in Perth and the other half in Sydney – on December 27, before both cities host a semi-final tie ahead of the final in Sydney on January 5.

American star Coco Gauff will play in the United Cup for the first time in the lead-up to the Australian Open. Picture: Wang He / Getty Images

Despite de Minaur’s singles win over Zverev, Australia narrowly lost its semi-final tie to Germany earlier this year after Matt Ebden and Storm Hunter were beaten in a mixed doubles match tie-break.

The draw will be announced on Monday and determine which teams are sent to Perth and Sydney.

Women’s world No.1 Iga Swiatek will lead Poland’s team, while US world No.3 Coco Gauff will join forces with No.9 Danielle Collins and men’s No.6 Taylor Fritz in a strong line-up.

US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper and de Minaur’s partner, Katie Boulter, are the leaders of Great Britain’s team.

Originally published as Alex de Minaur, Iga Swiatek headline big names in United Cup