SYDNEY (Reuters) – Croatia and Argentina have taken the last two spots in the field for the third edition of the United Cup mixed team tournament to be played in Sydney and Perth at the start of next season, organisers said on Monday.
Donna Vekic and Borna Coric will lead Croatia for the third straight year at the $10 million event as they battle it out with the United States and Canada in Group A, while Argentina will take on hosts Australia and Britain in Group F.
“It’s honestly my favourite tournament of the year,” Vekic, who won a singles silver medal at the Paris Olympics this year, said in a news release.
“We have great energy in the team. Borna has been my friend for more than 20 years. It feels like a little family. We are not a team, we are a family.”
Argentina, who missed out on last year’s United Cup after taking part in the inaugural edition, boast Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Nadia Podoroska as their top-ranked players.
The tournament starts on Dec. 27 with the final in Sydney on Jan. 5.
Draw:
Group A – US, Canada, Croatia
Group B – Poland, Czech Republic, Norway
Group C – Greece, Kazakhstan, Spain
Group D – Italy, France, Switzerland
Group E – China, Germany, Brazil
Group F – Britain, Australia, Argentina
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
