Friday's United Cup tennis tips and suggested bets

The United Cup team event kicks off with the singles matches between the men and women of Spain and Brazil as well as Great Britain and hosts Australia.

Spain are without Carlos Alcaraz and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina carries the flag for them in the men's singles.

Cameron Norrie's match against Alex De Minaur might be the highlight of the opening day's action.

 

United Cup Men: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Thiago Seyboth Wild | Pick: Davidovich Fokina

United Cup Men: Cameron Norrie vs Alex De Minaur | Pick: De Minaur

United Cup Women: Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Beatriz Haddad Maia | Pick: Haddad Maia

United Cup Women: Katie Boulter vs Ajla Tomljanovic | Pick: Tomljanovic

 

United Cup Men: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Thiago Seyboth Wild

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will be out to overturn the defeat he suffered to Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild in Rio back in 2020, and recent form suggests he will get the job done.

Seyboth Wild only played two matches on hard courts over the course of 2023 and is really part of the dying breed of clay court specialists.

While Davidovich Fokina doesn't have a stellar record on the surface, he has put in great performances in the past and is far more familiar with how to play on the fast Australian courts.

Davidovich Fokina might drop a set in this one, but he should manage to get through in the end, given how erratic his opponent can be.

 

United Cup Men: Cameron Norrie vs Alex De Minaur

Cameron Norrie had a promising start to his 2023 campaign but things went off the boil for him quite early on as well while Alex De Minaur finished the season strong.

Norrie beat De Minaur in the same event last season but the Australian still holds a 2-1 lead over him in their head-to-head.

De Minaur is also now ranked higher than Norrie in contrast to last term when Norrie held the edge on the ATP Tour ladder.

De Minaur should be well-placed to avenge the defeat he suffered to Norrie last year and put his team in control of the tie.

 

United Cup Women: Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Beatriz Haddad Maia

Beatriz Haddad Maia will know that she is likely to be taking on this match with a 1-0 deficit already hanging over her, but she should still fancy her chances.

Haddad Maia holds a 3-2 lead in this rivalry, although Sorribes Tormo has won their only previous clash on Australian soil.

The gap between these players has widened since they last met, with Haddad Maia having the clear edge in terms of form.

With 16 hard court wins in 2023 to the ten notched by the Spaniard, all signs point to Brazil managing to force this one into the doubles match.

 

United Cup Women: Katie Boulter vs Ajla Tomljanovic

Katie Boulter may outrank Ajla Tomljanovic, but the Australian enjoyed a great finish to her season on the WTA 125 circuit and showed she was ready to challenge top players again in 2024.

Tomljanovic came out on top in their only previous meeting on grass at the Nottingham Open in 2022 and should have the edge on a hard court as well.

Boulter took an extra two weeks off after the 2023 season but it won't be clear if that is a benefit to her in this match or not.

Tomljanovic won the title in Florianopolis in November and looks to be the player with the superior game right now.