Rybakina secures another victory at United Cup, thrives under guidance of Ivanisevic

Kazakhstan advanced to the quarter-finals of the United Cup mixed team tournament with a decisive victory over Greece on Monday.

Elena Rybakina (25) triumphed over Maria Sakkari (29) with a score of 6-4, 6-3, following an impressive performance by Alexander Shevchenko (24), who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas (26).

Rybakina, the former Wimbledon champion, is utilizing this 18-nation tournament as preparation for the upcoming Australian Open. She secured a closely contested first set against Sakkari before taking a commanding 5-0 lead in the second set.

Although she faced a late break, Rybakina maintained her composure to finish the match on her serve, much to the delight of her new coach, Goran Ivanisevic, who was visibly pleased in the coaching area.

"We have only been working together for a couple of weeks, and this is our first official tournament," Rybakina remarked. "We are still in the process of getting to know each other. He is an enjoyable person to work with, bringing valuable experience from his playing days and coaching. I am excited about our collaboration and hopeful for positive outcomes."

Earlier, Shevchenko achieved a significant upset by defeating the ailing and error-prone world number 11, Tsitsipas, with a score of 6-4, 7-6, setting Kazakhstan on the path to victory in their Group C match in Perth.

"This will certainly be recorded as one of my best victories," Shevchenko stated. "Although he was not at his best today, I played exceptionally well and capitalized on key moments to secure the win."

In Sydney, Katie Boulter and Charles Broom led Britain to a 2-1 victory over Argentina in Group F, clinching their mixed doubles match against Maria Lourdes Carle and Tomas Martin Etcheverry with a score of 7-6, 7-5.

Boulter initially put Britain ahead with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Nadia Podoroska, but Argentina quickly responded as Etcheverry overcame a stomach issue to defeat Billy Harris 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.