The winners of the two United Cup groups that were contested in Perth are Greece and Croatia. Especially the matches between the No. 1 players of these countries (of both genders) are looking incredibly tasty. Stefanos Tsitsipas will try to exact revenge on Borna Coric, who’s now beaten him three times in a row. Who do you think will prevail?
United Cup Day 7 Predictions
Despina Papamichail vs Donna Vekic
Head-to-head: First meeting
Despina Papamichail has done fine as Greece’s No. 2 player so far, but the difficulty level is going up here. Donna Vekic finished her 2022 campaign with a bang and it looks like the Croat is continuing that sort of form, getting close to the quality that once had her in the top 20 of the WTA Rankings. It seems like Vekic should pretty easily get her country on the board.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
Petra Martic vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: Sakkari 1-0
Maria Sakkari was very comfortable in her matches against Viktoriya Tomova and Elise Mertens, while Petra Martic beat Nadia Podorska and went down to Caroline Garcia. She did manage to keep it close against the Frenchwoman though, which bodes pretty well for her chances against another very aggressive player here. Sakkari is likely to have too much firepower for Martic, but it wouldn’t be a major surprise if it went the other way around.
Prediction: Sakkari in 3
Michail Pervolarakis vs Borna Gojo
Head-to-head: First meeting
Michail Pervolarakis was replaced by Stefanos Sakellaridis for the tie vs Belgium, but at least for now he’s back on the roster. It probably doesn’t matter who gets to play here as Borna Gojo should be too strong for either player. The Croat beat Adrian Mannarino in a crucial tie to get Greece through and has been known for overperforming in team-oriented competitions (perhaps due to his college roots at Wake Forest University).
Prediction: Gojo in 2
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Borna Coric
Head-to-head: Coric 3-1
This is the highlight of this rubber. Stefanos Tsitsipas had to go to a deciding tie-break with Grigor Dimitrov, but was much cleaner against David Goffin. Borna Coric took his two matches in straight sets (although against slightly weaker opposition). Historically, this hasn’t been a great matchup for Tsitsipas, including two losses last year (Cincinnati and Vienna). In both cases, Coric’s improved post-injury serve was the key factor. It should be close, but can the Croat keep having amazing serving days against the same opponent? Odds are it will stop at some point.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
