Dutch Doubles Propels Netherlands Past Norway At United Cup

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

Dutch doubles did the trick on Saturday for the Netherlands, which battled past Norway 2-1 in the first Sydney tie of the 2024 United Cup.

After Casper Ruud levelled for his country with a convincing singles win against Tallon Griekspoor, playing captain Wesley Koolhof and Demi Schuurs helped their country bounce back, defeating Ruud and Ulrikke Eikeri 7-6(5), 7-5 to clinch the Group F tie.

"I think mixed doubles here obviously is the key one to either win the tie or to maybe get a 3-love out of it or to save the team a bit," Koolhof said. "I think it was a very good level. I think we broke Casper three times and waited for the final last game of Ulrikke to break her... Very proud of the team. It's a good start for us to end 2023 with a win."

Norway had an opportunity to serve for the second set and force a pressure-filled Match Tie-Break. But the Dutch never panicked and after recovering the break they were down, Schuurs crushed a return at net-man Ruud to give her country the critical break.

"I think it was kind of a roller coaster, this mixed," Schuurs said. "They were up. We came back. We had chances. We didn't take the chances. At the end it was just a few little points that made a difference, but I think on the important moments we were very sharp."

The next Group F match will be in Monday's day session, when Norway tries to get back on track against Croatia. The Netherlands will play Croatia Tuesday evening.

Ruud made a quick start to his 2024 season with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Dutchman Griekspoor, forcing the deciding mixed doubles match.

Ruud, the No. 11 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and highest-ranked player in Group F, converted three of his seven break points to clinch victory after one hour and 12 minutes.

This was the pair’s second Lexus ATP Head2Head clash after Ruud triumphed at Acapulco in 2021 in a final-set tie-break. Griekspoor had won their two matches below tour-level (in 2015 and 2019, respectively).

The Dutchman enjoyed his best season in 2023, reaching a career-high World No. 21 in November. He qualified the Netherlands for the United Cup for the first time, but was only able to win 62 per cent of his service points against Ruud.

Griekspoor did not keep to himself during the final match of the tie after suffering a disappointing defeat. He served as de facto captain with Koolhof on court and encouraged his teammates until the end.

"I'm not really the guy who is going to sit by myself and cry about my singles. Didn't play my best. Didn't play bad. It was a bit up and down," Griekspoor said. "Casper played well. You play a high-quality opponent, so it is what it is. Trying to take the positives from it.

"Trying to be there to help the team. It's a team event. It's something I like, and I'm really happy with how they did."

In the first match of the tie, Arantxa Rus got the Netherlands off to a winning start with a 7-6(4), 6-1 win over Malene Helgø to give her team a 1-0 lead in the first Group F tie of the United Cup.

Despite 478 places between the two in the WTA rankings, 24-year-old Helgø, who made her Hologic WTA Tour debut in this competition 12 months ago, pushed her higher-ranked opponent hard in a first set that lasted more than an hour.

World No.51 Rus led 4-2 in the first, but lost the next three games, and twice served to stay in the first set. Both times, she rose to the challenge: Down 5-4, she held at love, and and down 6-5, she held to 15. She opened the ensuing tiebreak by winning four straight points -- and though Helgo got to within one at 4-3 and 5-4 -- Rus wrapped up a one-set lead on her first set point.

Set two was all Rus, who, after saving a break point at 1-1, broke Helgø after the Norwegian had three opportunities to hold for 2-2 and hardly looked back. The last game got complicated, though, as Rus needed a total of five match points to seal the opening win.