United Cup: Cameron Norrie, Katie Swan notched straight-set wins on Day 1

• Great Britain take a 2-0 lead over Australia in the United Cup.
• Cameron Norrie and Katie Swan win their opening singles matches.
• Harriet Dart can seal the tie when she faces Ajla Tomljanovic.

On Day 1 of the United Cup, Britain defeated Australia 2-0 to take a lead of 2-0. Katie Swan and Cameron Norrie both won their matches in straight sets.

The tie was started by No. 14 Norrie defeating No. 145 Swan, who defeated Zoe Hives, 6-4, 6-3. No. 14 Norrie defeated No. 145 Swan, 6-3, 6-3, to give Team GB an early advantage.

In front of a boisterous night session crowd, Norrie tried to calm the Australian fans by consistently hitting his flat backhand with depth to keep De Minaur stuck behind the baseline for the majority of their 90-minute match.

During a critical rally from 1-1, 0-40 on serve in the first set, the 27-year-old, who won 87 percent (26/30) of his first-serve points, gained momentum and went on to win the match. Then, in the second set, Norrie earned a break and won most of the breath-taking rallies to win.

Norrie defeated De Minaur in the match, tying their ATP Head to Head series at 1-1 after De Minaur had won their previous meeting in Barcelona the previous year.

Swan won her 15th game in her past 17 games with a 1-0 lead, keeping up her excellent record. Swan jumped off to a quick 4-1 lead in the first set against No.772 Hives before fighting off the Australian’s valiant comeback attempt.

Hives surprised everyone by jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the second set, but Swan’s greater consistency started off a six-game run that sealed the victory.

Having won on Friday, Great Britain may now end the match. With Daniel Evans taking on Jason Kubler in the last singles match, Harriet Dart can win the tie if she defeats Ajla Tomljanovic.

The United Cup is a new mixed-team competition taking place in Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney that will feature 18 different nations. Ties will consist of two ATP and two WTA singles matches as well as one mixed doubles match that will be played over the course of two days.

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