United Cup: No Raducanu, no problem for Great Britain after doubles drama ends Japan's United Cup dreams

Despite the absence of Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper, Great Britain were able to get off to a winning start in the 2026 United Cup as they dumped Japan out of the competition in a 2-1 win.

While it is a positive result, there are already concerns for the British team. Draper called his Australian swing off some time ago due to an ongoing arm problem, with Raducanu set to lead the British team into battle. However, an unknown injury picked up by the former US Open champion leaves a mysterious situation swirling around.

Ahead of the matchup, team captain Tim Henman told Australian broadcaster Nine "I've got to be honest, she was very, very close. It was not any easy decision. She had been building up and practising really well. I don't think she is necessarily out of this tournament just yet."

Billy Harris managed to fend off Shintaro Mochizuki 7-6(4), 6-3 to relieve the pressure of the next singles match and put Great Britain in the driving seat.

It was Mochizuki who could have wrapped the first set after breaking to go 5-3 ahead, but Harris managed to claw a break back as he won three games on the spin to give himself a shot at the set. While he did not take his chance there, he was able to squeeze past his opponent in the tiebreaker. 

He was mostly in control of the second set. A crucial break came halfway through it, and Harris was able to hold his serve for the rest of the contest, surviving a break point before clinching his first match point. “Great atmosphere… It got me through the match,” said Harris 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."

Naomi Osaka was struggling with illness in her defeat to Maria Sakkari yesterday. It was set to be a highly anticipated tie against Raducanu, but due to the injury Katie Swan stepped in, but she was unable to topple the four-time Grand Slam champion, losing 7-6 (4), 6-1.

A number of opportunities to gain the early advantage was squandered by both players, but it was Swan who managed to sneak ahead first. While serving out for the first set, Osaka pegged her back and forced a tiebreak. It was closely contested at first before Osaka ran away with it, winning four of the last five points to get a set on the board.

She was up and running, leaving Swan in her dust in the second set. She won the final four games to create history for Japan, earning them their first win in the United Cup on debut, and giving them a chance to stay in the competition, something Osaka was relieved about. “Just fighting, no matter what the score was,” Osaka said. “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.”

After a nervy match, it was the British pair of Olivia Nicholls and Neal Skpuski who managed to come out on top against Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-5, 4-6, 10-7.

It was a tense affair, with a lot on the line for both nations. There was just one break point in the firsts set, and that happened to be the final one. Japan got their way back in the tie to force a final set tiebreak, with Nicholls and Skupski finally managing to get over the line with some timeouts used in the latter stages. 

Henman was over the moon with the victory. “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,” he stated. “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.”

A tie between Great Britain and Greece will be played on January 5 to decide who tops Group E and has safe passage through to the knockout phase.