Pegula, Fritz face tough title defense for Team USA at United Cup

PERTH, Australia -- It was a quieter, more subdued Team USA that met with the press ahead of its title defense at the United Cup. World No.5 Jessica Pegula and No.10 Taylor Fritz have returned to lead the Americans in Perth, but format changes have led to a smaller squad.

Last year, the United Cup featured teams of eight, playing two men's matches, two women's matches and one mixed-doubles match. The competition has been streamlined this year, with teams of six playing one men's match, one women's match and one mixed-doubles match. The stakes are now higher for each match, while the margins will be slimmer. 

The changes meant Team USA could not bring the whole squad back, much to the chagrin of the odd men (and women) out. 

"I think they're kind of upset they're not here so I don't really know if they want to talk to us," Pegula said, laughing. "At least Foe [Frances Tiafoe] was.

"We still have this group chat from a year ago," Pegula said. "I'm sure we'll put a couple things in there to get the memories going. [Madison Keys] said if we needed any good vibes to FaceTime her any time. Maybe we'll take her up on that this week."

As Fritz observed, the format changes also mitigate one of Team USA's biggest advantages: depth. 

"I just think we're going to see a lot more matches come down to the mixed doubles, and that's something that not a lot of the players I guess have a lot of experience in," Fritz said. "So the pressure is going to show in those moments and it's going to make for some really exciting matches, I think.

"We're ready to go, for sure."

Team USA has been drawn into Group C alongside Great Britain and Australia. When asked to assess the toughest teams in the competition, Fritz put his focus on top seeds Poland. 

"They were strong last year, and I think this format makes them even stronger now," Fritz said. "Obviously Iga and Hubi in singles and then, if you manage to get one of them in singles, that's a tough mixed-doubles team. Hubi is a really good doubles player.

"They're tough, but then there are so many teams that maybe just have one person that's really strong, and the way the format is now one person can honestly carry a team."

Team USA will open its title defense against Great Britain On Sunday, Dec. 31.