16 December 2022 | Tennis West

The countdown is on to the inaugural United Cup, with Perth’s RAC Arena hosting a week of thrilling world-class tennis from 29 December to 4 January as part of the event’s group stage.

The United Cup is an exciting mixed team event that opens the 2023 tennis season in Australia.

It marks the return of top-level professional tennis to Western Australia for the first time in three years. And to celebrate, the United Cup is serving up free day session tickets in Perth for kids 14 and under.

> BUY NOW: United Cup – Perth tickets

If that is not enough to inspire local tennis fans to come along, here are many more reasons why the United Cup in Perth is the place to be this summer:

The No.1 seeds are in Perth
The tournament’s top seeds, Greece, are among six nations scheduled to compete at RAC Arena. They’ll be joined by Belgium and Bulgaria in Group A. Sixth seeds France landed in Group F alongside Argentina and Croatia.

An incredible line-up
Perth will welcome four top-10 ranked players – the most of any city in the United Cup’s group stage.
World No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas and world No.6 Maria Sakkari headline Greece’s team, while world No.4 Caroline Garcia spearheads the French line-up. Belgium’s Elise Mertens is currently ranked world No.5 in doubles and is a former world No.1.
Former world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov is also heading west.

A new-look mixed team event
This is the first time Perth has hosted a mixed team event where players are competing for valuable ranking points. Players can earn up to 500 points each during the United Cup.

Playing captains aplenty
Perth is the only city hosting a group featuring three playing captains. Petros Tsitsipas, the younger brother of world No.4 Stefanos, is the playing captain for Greece in Group A. Kirsten Flipkens, a US Open 2022 mixed doubles finalist, is Belgium’s captain, while former Australian Open semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov is leading Bulgaria.

There are four playing captains in total in Perth, with Edouard Roger-Vasselin in charge of the French team. The 39-year-old Roger-Vasselin is a Grand Slam doubles champion who has been ranked as high as world No.6 in doubles. He was a mixed doubles finalist at the most recent Grand Slam tournament, reaching the US Open 2022 title match alongside Flipkens.

Former stars as captains
Perth also boasts star power with its non-playing captains. Former world No.1 doubles player and Australian Open 2011 doubles champion Gisela Dulko will captain the Argentina team, while Roland Garros 1997 champion Iva Majoli is leading the Croatian contingent.

A Perth reunion
Perth will welcome back several top-ranked players who have previously competed in the city. This includes Greek stars Sakkari and Tsitsipas, leading Belgium players David Goffin and Mertens, along with France’s Garcia and Alize Cornet. Dimitrov, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist, is returning for the first time in 11 years.

Exciting debuts
There are also several accomplished players making their first competitive appearances in Perth. Borna Coric (Croatia), Petra Martic (Croatia), Donna Vekic (Croatia) and Flipkens (Belgium), who have all achieved top-20 singles rankings during their careers, are among the first-time visitors sure to impress fans.

Beginning with a bang
The United Cup is serving up great tennis right from the start too. The opening day session of the tournament, on Thursday 29 December, could feature an exciting showdown between Tsitsipas and Dimitrov. They are their respective nation’s most successful players in history – each achieving career-high rankings of world No.3 and winning ATP Finals titles. Both possess exquisite shot-making ability and beautiful one-handed backhands too.

Get your tickets
Tickets for adults start from $40. Visit Ticketek now to secure your seats at the United Cup this summer.

> Visit the United Cup website to learn more about this exciting new event.