Cameron Norrie began the new season with a timely return to form as Great Britain clinched victory over hosts Australia at the United Cup.
The second edition of the mixed international team competition is a slimmed-down version, with ties comprising two singles matches and one doubles.
Britain only needed the singles contests to seal the win in Perth, with Norrie defeating Alex De Minaur for the second year in a row 6-4 2-6 7-6 (2) before Katie Boulter powered to a 6-2 6-4 win against Ajla Tomljanovic.
Norrie won all three of his matches at the United Cup a year ago, including in straight sets against De Minaur, but struggled during the second half of the 2023 season and ended it by losing nine of his last 11 matches.
The 28-year-old admitted he felt a little burned out after maintaining an intense schedule but the off-season has allowed him to reset and his win over De Minaur is his first against a top-20 player since March.
Norrie took advantage of a slow start by De Minaur, breaking serve in the opening game and keeping his opponent at arm’s length during the first set.
The Australian, ranked six places higher than Norrie at world number 12, raised his level markedly in the second set and looked the better player throughout most of the decider.
But Norrie dug in well, saving a break point in the sixth game, and played a brilliant tie-break, seizing the initiative and drawing a double fault from De Minaur on the first match point.
Speaking on court, Norrie said: “I really had to dig deep and play very brave in that third set. He came out at the end of the second set, he was firing and I couldn’t match his level and I had to really play to win in that tie-break.
“I found good depth on my forehand in the tie-break. It’s always tough playing Alex, he’s a good friend of mine. It was a good match and a great way to start the year.”
View this post on InstagramMuch of the attention ahead of the tie had been on De Minaur being up against his girlfriend Boulter, but the British number one ensured Australia would have no second chances with a strong display.
Tomljanovic is a former top-40 player but she missed most of last season following knee surgery and is currently ranked down at 290.
Boulter, sitting at 56 in the rankings, stormed into a 4-0 lead in the opening set and, although it was closer thereafter, she held her nerve to claim victory.
Britain need to beat reigning champions USA in their final group match on Sunday to ensure they reach the quarter-finals.
Djokovic bemoans 'completely off' performance after early Italian Open exit
Novak Djokovic lamented his dismal showing as Alejandro Tabilo profited from the world number one's "completely off" performance to triumph at the Italian Open.
Tabilo stunned Djokovic with a straight-sets victory in the third round on Sunday, winning 6-2, 6-3 in his maiden ATP Tour clash with the Serbian.
The Chilean advances to the fourth round at a Masters 1000 event for just the second time after Indian Wells in 2023, with Djokovic unable to explain his struggles in Rome.
"I just wasn't able to find any kind of good feelings on the court, to be honest, striking the ball. I was completely off," he said.
A six-time champion in Rome, the 36-year-old won his opening-round match at the ATP Masters 1000 event against Corentin Moutet.
However, Djokovic was inadvertently hit on the head by a falling water bottle when leaving the court after that victory.
Whether that incident impacted his performance against Tabilo remains to be seen.
"I don't know, to be honest. I have to check that," he said. "Training was different. I was going for [a] kind of easy training yesterday.
"I didn't feel anything, but I also didn't feel the same. Today under high stress, it was quite bad – not in terms of pain, but in terms of this balance.
"Just no coordination. Completely different player from what it was two nights ago. Could be. I don't know. I have to do medical checkups and see what's going on."
Tabilo's next opponent will be Karen Khachanov, who saw off Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 6-4, while Djokovic is made to wait for his 1100th match win.
Djokovic stunned in straight-sets defeat at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic is out of the Italian Open after a straight-sets defeat by Alejandro Tabilo in the third round on Sunday.
Tabilo recorded the biggest win of his career with a dominant performance, winning 6-2, 6-3 in his maiden ATP Tour clash with the Serbian.
Djokovic, who was hit on the head by a water bottle following his second-round win over Corentin Moutet, struggled to get going as he saw his serve broken four times.
Tabilo clinched the opening set in style, making few errors, and Djokovic failed to mount a comeback in the second, with double faults costing him at key moments, including one on the final break serve.
The Chilean advances to the fourth round at a Masters 1000 event for just the second time after Indian Wells in 2023. His next opponent will be Karen Khachanov, who saw off Francisco Cerundolo 6-2, 6-4.
Data Debrief: Big winner
Tabilo is the second player from Chile to defeat the World No.1 in ATP-1000 events after Fernando Gonzalez, who defeated Lleyton Hewitt at the Hamburg Masters in 2003, since the introduction of the format in 1990.
He is also the first Chilean to defeat a World No. 1 since Fernando Gonzalez beat Roger Federer at the 2007 Nitto ATP Finals Round Robin.
Djokovic, meanwhile, is made to wait for his 1100th match win.
Sabalenka dominates Yastremska to reach Italian Open fourth round
Aryna Sabalenka dominated Dayana Yastremska to reach the fourth round of the Italian Open on Sunday.
Sabalenka, who claimed Australian Open glory for the second time earlier this year without dropping a set, eased to a 6-4 6-2 victory over Yastremska.
Yastremska headed into the third-round contest having beaten Sabalenka in all three of their previous meetings, but the world number two found a crucial break of serve in the seventh game of the opening set before going on to hold twice more to take the ascendancy.
Yastremska's resolve was broken further in an epic third game of the second set, surviving six break points before Sabalenka finally got over the line to tighten her grip on the match.
Sabalenka didn't look back from there, breaking Yastremska again before going on to seal her place in the fourth round.
Sabalenka will take on either Sara Errani or Anna Kalinskaya in the fourth round as she looks to win the Italian Open for the first time ahead of the French Open later this month, where she will bid to improve on her semi-final appearance last year.
Data debrief
Since 2018, when Sabalenka achieved her first WTA 1000 win, she is now the player with the joint-most wins in such events (90, equalling Iga Swiatek).
Sabalenka may have lost her three previous games against Yastremska, but the last meeting between the pair was in 2020, and the two-time grand slam champion showed how much her game has progressed since then as she won all nine of her service games while breaking her Ukrainian opponent three times on her way to victory.
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