Osaka wins in Perth, but Great Britain ends Japan’s United Cup hopes

Naomi Osaka earned her first United Cup match win on Sunday, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to keep Japan in the competition.

Originally slated to face Emma Raducanu, Osaka instead took on Katie Swan after a late British lineup change and defeated the 26-year-old 7-6(4), 6-1 in 1 hour and 53 minutes at RAC Arena. The victory briefly pulled Japan level in its tie with Great Britain after Billy Harris defeated Shintaro Mochizuki earlier in the day.

However, Great Britain clinched the tie -- and eliminated Japan -- when Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skupski defeated Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-5, 4-6, [10-7] in the deciding mixed doubles.

Osaka’s victory marked her first career match-win at the United Cup and Japan’s first in the event, with the nation making its debut this year.

United Cup: Scores | Standings

“Just fighting, no matter what the score was,” said Osaka when asked what she was most pleased with. “I’ve never played her before and she’s a really tough opponent. And to have one of the first matches of the year is definitely really tough, but I’m glad to be back here. I haven’t been here since 2017, so thanks for having me.”

Osaka’s serve set the tone, as she won the first 10 points on her serve and 11 of the first 12. By match end, the former World No. 1 had won 78% of her first-serve points and struck six aces. The performance from the service line provided a crucial cushion given her early struggles on return, as she converted just 1 of 10 break points in the opening set.

Despite the loss, the match will stand as a career highlight for Swan, who has endured repeated injuries and setbacks throughout her career. Despite the adversity, she entered the contest with 16 ITF singles titles -- including four in 2025 -- and was a girls’ singles finalist at the 2015 Australian Open.

"Obviously disappointed with the outcome, but I'm taking so many positives from the experience as a whole," Swan said to reporters. "I really enjoyed the match. I relaxed into it quite fast. It was great to see that my level can compete with someone as great as Naomi.

"It's been a tough journey for me to get back to a stage like this. This time last year, I wasn't playing tennis at all."

Swan competed in the inaugural United Cup in 2023, going 2-1 in singles with wins over Nuria Parrizas Diaz and Zoe Hives, while losing to Madison Keys. Her last WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz main-draw win came at the event, while her most recent tour-level main-draw appearance had come at Wimbledon in 2023, where she lost to Belinda Bencic.

The Briton battled throughout Sunday’s match, showing resolve from the opening game. She earned the first break of the match for a 4-3 lead in the first set and saved the first eight break points she faced, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to avoid a winner-take-all mixed doubles match. 

Osaka broke back to level at 5-5, claimed the first-set tiebreak 7-4 and then pulled away in the second set.

“[Winning the first set] was definitely really important,” Osaka said. “And just, I guess for my confidence, trying to just build more. So yeah, I definitely appreciated winning the first set for sure.”

Earlier, Harris had steadied Great Britain after a turbulent start to the day in Perth by defeating Mochizuki 7-6(4), 6-3. Following the announcement of Raducanu’s withdrawal, Harris delivered a timely boost with a win over a player ranked well above him in the PIF ATP Rankings.

“Great atmosphere…it got me through the match,” Harris said in his on-court interview. “A lot of Brits out here. Great to get the first win for the team. Some shaky bits in there, but I managed to close it out there in the end, so I was happy with that."

The 30-year-old rallied from 5-3 down in the opening set but failed to serve it out at 6-5. He rebounded with a strong tiebreak and, with steady encouragement from captain Tim Henman, secured the only break of the second set in the fourth game.

The victory was his first tour-level win since defeating Dusan Lajovic at Wimbledon last July.

“Having Tim on the bench, it’s great having advice from someone like that,” Harris said. “You’re listening every changeover, and those little bits of advice can make a difference.”

Before Osaka sealed Japan’s first match win of the event, Mochizuki had been chasing it. But his effort was undone by inconsistency from the baseline. The 22-year-old hit 19 unforced errors in the first set alone and made just 40% (27 of 68) of his first serves overall, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

In the deciding mixed doubles, Nicholls and Skupski edged Hibino and Uchiyama in a 1-hour, 46-minute nailbiter to secure victory for Great Britain. The closing stages also featured tactical use of a timeout from both captains: Japan’s Go Soeda called one before Nicholls served at 6-5, and Skupski promptly netted an easy volley on the following point.

Henman then returned the favour by calling a timeout of his own with Briton leading 7-6, and his doubles pair subsequently reeled off back-to-back mini-breaks before going on to clinch the tie.
 
“It was instigated by the Japan team. They went first, but it was certainly on the radar once we got into that deciding tie-break,” revealed Great Britain captain Henman in his on-court interview. “The spirit has been so good since we arrived in Perth. Their work ethic and the camaraderie has been absolutely outstanding. My request was for them to go out there and enjoy the challenge and compete for every point.”
 
Skupski added: “Obviously it was a very up-and-down tie-break. Both captains brought out the timeout, and I was a bit confused when it all happened, but extremely proud to get through that moment. It’s a great win for GB.”
 
Nicholls and Skupski, along with the rest of their British teammates, will now prepare for Monday’s clash with Team Greece in Perth. The winner of that tie will qualify for the quarter-finals as the winner of Group E, while Japan is eliminated.
 
“Unbelievable. We had amazing support from the crowd,” said Nicholls. “I’ve actually got family here who I’m staying with in Perth this week which is making it even more special. We’ve had amazing team spirit this week. I’ve really enjoyed being part of this team, so it’s just incredible to get the win.”