Germany opens United Cup title defense with win

Defending champion Germany took a dominant first step in its United Cup defense, sweeping Brazil on Sunday in Perth, Australia.

The Brazilians, seeded 13th and winless in Group E play, were eliminated from the mixed-team event.

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev needed just 77 minutes to defeat Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 6-4. His teammate on the 11th-seeded German team, Laura Siegemund, needed twice that time to top Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

The win set up a showdown for Germany with China, which also is 1-0 in Group E.

Italy, the fourth seed, sent Switzerland to 1-1 in Group D play with a sweep in Sydney. Flavio Cobolli and Jasmine Paolini each posted straight-set victories over the 16th-seeded Swiss team, with Cobolli topping Dominic Stricker 6-3, 7-6 (2) and Paolini beating Belinda Bencic 6-1, 6-1.

A win against France on Tuesday would advance Italy out of group play.

And also in Sydney, Group B action kicked off with the Czech Republic defeating Norway 2-1. Karolina Muchova started with a 6-2, 6-2 victory for the eighth-seeded Czechs against Malene Helgo, then Norway's Casper Ruud topped Tomas Machac 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-4 in a match that lasted just shy of three hours.

Muchova and Machac teamed to defeat the 15th-seeded Norwegians in the mixed-doubles event, besting Ulrikke Eikeri and Viktor Durasovic 6-4, 6-4 to give the Czechs the match win.

--Field Level Media