2023 is yet to conclude, but the 2024 tennis season is already off and running. In its second edition, the United Cup will see 16 teams compete, surely to be exciting after the high-quality tennis of last year’s tournament. Australia vs Great Britain highlights the night session of Day 1, featuring home favorites Alex De Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic. Who will prevail?
United Cup Day 1 Predictions
Alex De Minaur vs Cameron Norrie
Head-to-head: 2-1 De Minaur
This exciting battle marks a rematch from last year’s United Cup. Norrie won that match 6-3 6-3, but De Minaur later would take out Norrie in Toronto en route to his first Masters 1000 final. Both players play with lots of topspin, relying on footwork and angles to win points instead of sheer power. De Minaur certainly had a more successful 2023 compared to Norrie, reaching his career-high ranking of No. 11 and claiming an ATP 500 title in Acapulco. On the other hand, Norrie struggled towards the latter portion of 2023, going 2-5 following the US Open. It’s a far cry from the start of 2023 when he stunned Rafael Nadal at the United Cup, a feat De Minaur was able to do at the same tournament. While Norrie shouldn’t be written off, De Minaur is comfortable on hard courts and should have confidence going into this match.
Prediction: De Minaur in 2
Katie Boulter vs Ajla Tomljanovic
Head-to-head: Tomljanovic 1-0
Tomljanovic is one of many players looking to cause a raucous on the tennis tour this year. After a knee injury kept the Aussie out of action for over nine months, Tomljanovic claimed a WTA 125K title in Florianopolis in late November. In fact, this was the biggest title of her career. She’ll look to get back to her career-high ranking of No. 33 and claim high-profile wins comparable to her win over Serena Williams at the 2022 US Open. The Australian swing will be a great opportunity for her to play top-level tennis in front of a supportive crowd.
Boulter is slowly making inroads on the WTA Tour, reaching consecutive third-round appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open, and winning her first WTA title in Nottingham. Similar to Tomljanovic, Boulter has few points to defend at the start of the year, with many of her points coming from smaller ITF tournaments. Expecting a close match, with Tomljanovic’s strong comeback continuing in Perth.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 3
Katie Boulter/Neil Skupski vs Storm Hunter/Matthew Ebden
Head-to-head: First meeting
If the matches predicted are correct, Australia will win the tie regardless of the mixed doubles result. However, all mixed doubles matches are played at the United Cup. This could be critical for standings at the end of the Group Stage. In addition to Boulter’s skills on the singles court, Ebden, Hunter and Skupski are titans on the doubles court. Ebden partnered with Max Purcell to win the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, winning in a five-set thriller. One year later, Skupski claimed the 2023 Wimbledon doubles title, additionally holding the World No. 1 doubles ranking for a period of time. Finally, Hunter is the current doubles No. 1, despite not winning a Grand Slam title quite yet. She claimed three WTA 1000 titles in 2023, patterning with Elise Mertens on both occasions.
While Boulter won’t have to worry about nerves and rustiness due to her singles match, she may be a liability with her lack of big-stage doubles experience. This will be an exciting match of top doubles players facing off, but Ebden and Hunter’s slight edge of combined experience may be the difference.
Prediction: Ebden/Hunter in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
