The 2026 tennis season will officially kick off with the United Cup on January 2, with Japan and Greece being the second fixture of the day. This tie is set to feature the likes of Naomi Osaka, Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Osaka had some promising performances in 2025 and will look to start 2026 strongly while Sakkari will be eager to put last year’s woes behind her.
Tsitsipas had a pretty disappointing 2025 season that was hampered by injuries and will be eager to put on an impressive performance this year. The 27-year-old has had a long break from tennis and will look to get some game time under his belt from the United Cup to test his fitness along with improving his performance.
Japan vs Greece Match Details
Date: January 2, 2026
Tournament: United Cup 2026
Round: Group
Venue: RAC Arena, Perth
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, RDS, Sky Sports
Japan vs Greece Head-to-Head
The two sides have never had any prior encounters at the United Cup.
Japan vs Greece Prediction
First up will be the women’s fixture against Osaka and Sakkari, who have faced one another five times before. The Japanese leads their head-to-head 3-2 and will be the heavy favorite entering the match. While Sakkari thrashed Osaka 6-0, 6-4 in their last meeting in Indian Wells, it came in 2021 and a lot has happened since.
Osaka’s recent run of form has been considerably better compared to that of her Greek counterpart and she should be able to give Japan the lead. The men’s match will see Tsitsipas face Mochizuki for the very first time. While the Greek did not have the 2025 season he would have wanted to, he is still ranked 63 spots ahead of the Japanese and should be able to come out on top to level the scores for Greece.
As per the United Cup’s website, Osaka and Mochizuki will face Tsitsipas and Sakkari in mixed doubles. However, there is still a chance that Japan could send in Nao Hibino as she is the better and more experienced doubles player. The two Greeks have partnered one another twice previously at the United Cup, winning their match against Spain in 2025 while losing to Chile in 2024.
If Hibino plays the doubles fixture, there is a fair chance of Japan winning it. However, if it’s Osaka in the decider with Mochizuki, the relatively more experienced duo of Tsitsipas and Sakkari might seal the win for Greece.
Pick: Japan to win 2-1.
