Paolini & Cobolli’s funny challenge, Boisson’s brand move as Osaka celebrates first win of the season

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, things are starting to take shape at the United Cup, with several teams already qualified and players celebrating strong starts to the tournament. From Belinda Bencic and Stan Wawrinka to Barbora Krejčíková and Jakub Menšík, players are beginning to show the level they are bringing into the 2026 season, testing themselves in top-level matches.

Even Naomi Osaka, despite Japan’s elimination, found reasons to celebrate after securing her first singles win of the season. Elsewhere, Flavio Cobolli stole the spotlight in a fun social media video alongside Jasmine Paolini, attempting to help the two-time Grand Slam champion guess words using gestures while she wore noise-cancelling headphones.

Switzerland’s victory over Italy was one of Sunday night’s highlights in Perth, as it secured the Swiss team a place in the United Cup quarterfinals. On Monday, the celebrations continued on social media, with a playful post from Belinda Bencic alongside Stan Wawrinka.

“Omg we have something to tell you about Wednesday but will wait until we are sitting down,” read the caption in a video shared by the tournament’s official accounts.

At the same time, the former world No. 4 posted photos celebrating the win after playing a key role against Italy. Bencic defeated Jasmine Paolini in singles and then teamed up with Jakub Paul in mixed doubles to beat three-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.

Naomi Osaka celebrated her first victory of the season on social media, despite Japan being eliminated in Perth. The Asian team had suffered a 0–3 defeat to Greece in their opening tie, including a straight-sets loss for Osaka against Maria Sakkari, before facing Great Britain with one last chance to stay alive.

The four-time Grand Slam champion took advantage of Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal and went on to defeat Katie Swan in straight sets, securing her first win of the year.

Unfortunately for Japan, Great Britain clinched the tie in mixed doubles, and Japan were officially eliminated after also falling to Greece. Still, Osaka is beginning to find competitive rhythm in her only warm-up event ahead of the Australian Open, where she will be the 16th seed at a tournament she previously won in 2019 and 2021.

Loïs Boisson has joined the early-season wave of brand changes among players, signing with Asics after the European brand lost several of its key figures in recent months, including Alex de Minaur, who moved to Wilson, and Eva Lys, who became a brand ambassador for Lacoste. Asics has now made its move in tennis by adding the French No. 1 and current world No. 36 as an official ambassador, a partnership that was recently announced on social media.

“Last year @loisboisson shocked the tennis world by reaching the SF’s in Paris as a wildcard. 🎾 Then a first career title, followed by a top 40 entrance. 🏆 Welcome to the ASICS Tennis family Loïs, the future looks very bright. “

Flavio Cobolli starred in a light-hearted social media moment after drawing attention with his role in a United Cup challenge video. The world No. 22 took part in a game alongside Jasmine Paolini, who had to guess words spoken by Cobolli while wearing noise-cancelling headphones. As Paolini struggled to figure out the answers, Cobolli’s exaggerated gestures quickly became the highlight of the video, earning plenty of laughs across social media.

The Italians were defeated in their opening match against Switzerland, but they still hold hopes of advancing as the second-place team in their group – which would require them to be the highest-ranked runner-up in Perth. To achieve this, they will face the already-eliminated France, needing only to secure a win in the tie. With two victories in three matches, they would mathematically guarantee the best second-place spot in the city and a place in the quarterfinals to face the USA.

Meanwhile, Czechia were among the last teams to make their debut in the tournament, taking to the court against Norway and delivering an impressive 3–0 victory that puts them in a strong position to advance. Two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova led the team with wins in both singles and mixed doubles, setting the tone for a dominant tie.

The series also marked the first match of the season for 2025 Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik, who produced one of the early surprises of the tournament by defeating three-time Grand Slam runner-up Casper Ruud in a tight contest. The 20-year-old Czech later shared images of his win on social media as the team prepares to face Australia, aiming to secure a place in the quarterfinals.

Daria Saville has shared her exercise routine during the final weeks of her pregnancy. While she has not revealed when she will welcome her first child, the former Australian Open semifinalist recently confirmed that she played the last two Grand Slams of 2025 while expecting—meaning that by June 2025, seven months ago at Wimbledon, she was already pregnant with her child alongside her husband, Luke Saville.

The former top-20 player will miss the Australian Open—a tournament where she reached the semifinals twice (2016, 2017)—and will take some time away from the court. It will be several months before fans can see the 31-year-old Australian back in action.