In a thrilling match at the United Cup in Sydney, Belinda Bencic and Dominic Stricker led Switzerland to a 2-1 victory over France in Group D action. The deciding mixed doubles match saw Bencic and Stricker defeat Elixane Lechemia and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-1, 7-6 (4) to secure the win.
The match was intense, with Switzerland initially appearing to be in cruise control after losing just 12 points in the first set. However, they had to work hard to ultimately prevail in 77 minutes. Stricker mentioned that it was not easy playing against a fellow countryman like Roger Federer, but their good talk before the match and their hot start made all the difference.
Bencic, who recently returned to the elite circuit after her maternity leave, opened Switzerland’s campaign with a clinical 6-3, 6-1 win over Chloe Paquet in the women’s singles. This was her first win at a tour-level event since her third-round victory at the 2023 US Open. She expressed her excitement about being back and her gratitude for the support she received.
Ugo Humbert kept France in the game by defeating Stricker 6-3, 7-5 in the men’s singles, leveling the tie at 1-1. However, the Swiss duo of Bencic and Stricker managed to clinch the deciding mixed doubles match, ensuring Switzerland’s progression to the knockout stages of the prestigious mixed-gender team competition.
The victory was crucial for Switzerland, and Bencic praised Stricker’s serving skills, saying it was easy for her to play at the net when he was on serve. The team will now face Italy on Sunday evening, while France will take on Italy on Tuesday.
Dominic Stephan Stricker in 2024
Ranked no. (career-high), Lika played her last match on the 22nd of August 2021 when she surrendered to Divine Dasam Nweke 7-5 6-2 in the qualifications in (draw).
Currently, during this season the Ukrainian has achieved a composed 1-2 record.