United Cup: Pegula, Tiafoe claim victories for United States

BRISBANE: World No. 3 Jessica Pegula tallied her first win of the season with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Germany's Laura Siegemund on Day 6 of the United Cup.

After wins from Taylor Fritz and Madison Keys on Day 5, Pegula's dominant victory delivered the Americans an insurmountable 3-0 lead over Germany, reports unitedcup.com.

World No. 19 Frances Tiafoe then followed Pegula onto court and moved his nation 4-0 ahead, defeating Oscar Otte 7-5, 6-4.

Having defeated the Czech Republic in their opening tie, the USA will finish Group C undefeated and advance to the City Finals where it will face Great Britain.

Tuesday's victory was a meaningful one for Pegula in more ways than one. The win was her first singles win since capturing the biggest title of her career the Guadalajara Akron Open in October, snapping a four-match losing streak that began at the WTA Finals.

Coming off a hotly-contested 7-6(6), 6-4 loss to Petra Kvitova in her first match of the season, Pegula put in a comprehensive and dominant baseline performance to defeat Siegemund. The German struggled to gain any traction in Pegula's quick service games, with Pegula winning 75 per cent if her first-serve points and 79 per cent of her second-serve points. The American lost just 10 points on her serve.

With the tie secured, Tiafoe played with freedom and confidence when he beat Otte to further extend his nation's advantage.

In his first ATP Head2Head meeting against Otte, the 24-year-old was strong on serve, firing nine aces and winning 97 per cent (29/30) of points behind his first delivery to triumph after 77 minutes.

Tiafoe has now earned two wins this season, having moved past Czech Republic's Tomas Machac in his opening match. The American held a 35-25 record in 2022, reaching tour-level finals Estoril and Tokyo and the last four at the US Open.

Pegula and Tiafoe teamed up to complete the clean sweep for the Americans, defeating Laura Siegemund and Daniel Altmeier 6-7(5), 6-4, 10-7 in the mixed doubles.

Looking ahead to Wednesday's City Finals against Great Britain, Pegula will prepare to face Harriet Dart in singles. The winner of the City Finals will advance to the United Cup Final Four, which begins on Friday.