Gao upsets Haddad Maia in United Cup marathon; China defeat Brazil

Gao Xinyu notched a major upset at the United Cup in Perth, overcoming Beatriz Haddad Maia 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 to give China a 1-0 lead over Brazil in the opening rubber of the Group E tie.

The three-hour, 22-minute epic, which was the longest WTA singles match in tournament history, thoroughly contrasted Zhang Zhizhen's 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Thiago Monteiro, which sealed the tie in China's favour. The No. 45 in the PIF ATP Rankings breezed past the Brazilian in just 54 minutes to improve to 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

In Gao's show-stopping comeback, both players battle physical adversity. Gao required a medical time-out in the second set and resumed play with her left thigh heavily strapped, and the 27-year-old was in visible discomfort at times. Haddad Maia was afflicted by cramps when serving up 4-3 in the third set, resorting to several underarm deliveries and ultimately getting broken.

Nonetheless, both players put on a thriller for the RAC Arena crowd. No.175-ranked Gao, a replacement for Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen, owned just one previous tour-level win in her career, and this was her first encounter with a Top 50 player. She had only notched one prior Top 100 win, all the way back in 2017 over Veronica Cepede Royg in Beijing qualifying that year.

But despite the gulf in experience, she went toe-to-toe with No.17-ranked Haddad Maia throughout and emerged with a career-best win. 

"I have no idea what's going on right now," said Gao in the on-court interview. "My brain was empty and my whole body was cramping."

Though Haddad Maia imposed her authority early with an immediate break, Gao settled into her groove and fired a trio of clean winners to break back and level at 5-5. She also held two points to force a tiebreak, but the Brazilian slammed down four consecutive unreturned serves to escape with a tight first set.

But Gao's tactics came to the fore in the second set as she pulled Haddad Maia off court with sharp angles and used high forehands to reset points before picking her moments to strike. Still, as the match headed into a decider Haddad Maia seemed to have the physical advantage -- until cramps struck in a dramatic eighth game.

Haddad Maia was able to move more freely by the next game, but Gao was in no mood to let her lifeline go. At 30-30 in the final game, she defied a net-rushing Haddad Maia with an excellent lob, then sealed victory as a Haddad Maia forehand sailed out. It was a fitting win for a player who hit the headlines last September for losing a 4-hour, 15-minute marathon against Sara Sorribes Tormo in Beijing, the fourth-longest WTA match of the Open Era.

"Yeah, I was thinking of that match in China Open," Gao said afterwards. "Actually after China Open, I play a lot matches, and I lost in final set. Have a lot of opportunity, but I didn't catch it. So today final set again, I was thinking like, 'Again.' It's like, 'Please, let me win one time, at least.'"

Zhang later tied the bow on a statement start to China's second United Cup campaign. The ATP Chinese No.1 offered no let-up in a clinical performance, during which he won 87 per cent (26/30) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
 
China's opening day triumph offers promise for what is to come for the Asian nation at this year's United Cup. On its debut in 2024, Zhang and WTA No.5 Zheng led China to the quarterfinals, but with reigning champions Germany lurking in their group this year, the win over Brazil might just prove pivotal in its quest to emulate that form.

In the mixed doubles, Zhang Shuai and Zhang Zhizhen joined forces to defeat Carolina Alves and Rafael Matos 6-4, 7-5, completing a 3-0 sweep for China.