The defending champions, Team USA, secured their berth in the United Cup quarterfinal tie in Perth after a dominant group stage performance against Spain on Monday, January 5. Taylor Fritz delivered an impressive performance against Jaume Munar by saving a match point to keep their hopes alive. Coco Gauff compensated for her singles loss against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro by clinching the mixed doubles match alongside Christian Harrison.
Right before the quarterfinal tie, the 21-year-old appeared on the “Player’s Box Podcast” and opened up about what the team does during their downtime.
Coco Gauff Reveals Taylor Fritz’s Superstitious Routine During the United Cup
Following Team USA’s qualification for Wednesday, Gauff made time to appear on the “Player’s Box Podcast” alongside Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk to talk about her time at the tournament.
During the podcast, Brady asked Gauff about her favorite memories from the tournament, something apart from the intense matches that the players play every day. The two-time Grand Slam Champions’ reply caused a burst of laughter among the players, especially when Gauff talked about Fritz and his habits.
She revealed that, “Just the escape rooms. Taylor’s so superstitious, doing the escape rooms every day. It was fun, but he always wanted to be the guy to finish the room.”
This competitive attitude from Fritz, as revealed by Gauff, was surprising for the hosts. The 28-year-old, trying to be “the guy” who finishes each room and solves the final puzzle every time, showed his “superstitious” side.
However, Gauff added a humorous story to this entire escape room routine. Despite his determination, Fritz managed to complete only one room out of all the escape room activities during the United Cup. She said, “I’ll see him soon, but he was only the guy in one of them that I can remember.”
These escape room activities are conducted during such tournaments as they require teamwork, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills, which foster a stronger bond between the players.
Blockbuster United Cup Clash Featuring Gauff, Fritz, and More on Wednesday
Fritz heads into Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Greece after his over 3-hour-long match against Munar on Monday.
However, the quarterfinal tie created an unusual matchup due to the tournament structure. As Group A winners, Team USA was originally set to face the best runner-up, Argentina. However, since they had already met during the group stage, management made Greece the quarterfinal opponent instead.
The Greeks topped Group E after an undefeated run, thanks to Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas beating Japan and Great Britain, which assured their team’s qualification for Perth. Tsitsipas defeated Billy Harris in three sets, a two-hour, 15-minute battle that tested his resilience and tactical awareness.
Sakkari secured her first career win against Emma Raducanu in another three-set victory, marking a significant breakthrough against the British No. 1, who had previously defeated her four times.
Wednesday’s schedule pairs Fritz against Tsitsipas, while Gauff faces Sakkari, with mixed doubles to follow at the RAC Arena in Perth starting at 10:00 AM local time.