Krejcikova makes winning United Cup debut, Czechia takes early lead in Sydney
Two-time major singles champion Barbora Krejcikova scored a winning United Cup debut on Monday in a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Norway’s Malene Helgo to give Czechia an early 1-0 lead in Group D Sydney action.
The former World No. 2 comes into the 2026 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz season ranked No. 65 in the PIF WTA Rankings after another bout with injury to close 2025. She reached the quarter-finals of the US Open in September, a watershed moment in her season that only began in May after dealing with a recurring back injury.
Putting Team Czechia on the scoreboard 📋 pic.twitter.com/EihT4A8bFV
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 5, 2026
Krejcikova then unfortunately dealt with physical problems again, suffering a knee injury against McCartney Kessler in the third round of the China Open. She retired from that match, later revealing her injury was worse than previously thought. Krejcikova also retired from her first match at the WTA 125 in Limoges in December.
Krejcikova’s season-opening match against World No. 532 Helgo proved to be an ideal return.
“I didn’t play for a long period, and the injury that I had was really tough and very unfortunate,” Krejcikova said. “I’m really happy that I’m here, that I can play, that I can enjoy it, that I can compete, and I’m really happy that I can finally finish a match.”
Helgo, 26, has punched above her weight in the United Cup in the past. She pushed both Caroline Garcia and Donna Vekic to three sets in 2024 and took advantage of a slow start by Krejcikova to open up an early 3-1 lead.
But then, Krejcikova, who played the one-hour, 38-minute match with supportive wrapping on her left knee, erased a break point opportunity in a five-deuce fifth game and righted the ship by winning eight of the next nine games.
“The knee is better. It took some time, but it’s improving every day and I’m very happy with that,” Krejcikova said.
In men’s singles, World No. 19 Jakub Mensik, also a first-time United Cup participant, will look to clinch victory for Czechia against Casper Ruud.
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