/sportsinfo/media/member_avatars/image 59.png)
Follow Us/sportsinfo/media/media_files/2024/12/27/DWHTOF7Tu2lRy66fiOYB.jpeg)
Photograph: (Twitter)
Tennis star and world number six Elena Rybakina led her side, Kazakhstan, to a key first-day win over Spain at the United Cup 2025 on December 27, Friday, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. After pulling her nation back onto level terms with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Spain's Bouzas Maneiro in the second game of the opening day thriller, the world number six teamed up with Alexander Shevchenko to grab the deciding mixed doubles and thwarted Pablo Carreno and Cavalle-Reimers by 7-6, 6-7, and 10-7. They will now make it to the quarterfinals if they manage to topple Greece in Monday's encounter.
Carreno Busta kicked off the tie by moving past Alexander 6-2, 6-2, earning a comfortable win against the number 78 player in the PIF ATP rankings, giving Spain a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Busta was disappointed after his side, Spain, suffered defeat in the opening encounter of the 2025 United Cup. The 33-year-old revealed that he was nervous at the beginning of the game and tried to be more aggressive.
“I didn’t expect this level. It is very important in the beginning to be focused. In the beginning, I was very nervous, but that’s normal. After that, I tried to be solid and tried to be a little more aggressive than [I was] in the beginning,” Carreno Busta said in his on-court interview.
Also Read: Simona Halep withdraws from Australian Open; Delays her start of 2025 season
I’m really happy with the way I played today: Elena Rybakina
On the other hand, Elena Rybakina was ecstatic after she registered two back-to-back wins on the opening day of the showpiece event. Earlier, she outclassed Bouzas Maneiro in the singles event.
"It was a really tough one; first matches are always difficult. It’s not easy to get used to [it] that quick, but I’m really happy with the way I played today,” Rybakina said in her on-court interview.