Haddad Maia Shines To Give Brazil United Cup Lead Against Italy

World No.15 Beatriz Haddad Maia gave Brazil a 1-0 lead over fifth seeds Italy after a dominant win over World No. 27 Martina Trevisan, 6-2, 6-0, on Day 1 of the United Cup in Brisbane.

"We played in the middle of last year and it was three sets," Haddad Maia said. "I worked very hard to push myself to play my best tennis. I worked very hard in the pre-season to be as ready as I could today."

The top seeds in Group E, Italy will try to level the tie in the second singles match of the day, as Lorenzo Musetti takes on Felipe Meligeni Alves later.

The Hologic WTA Tour's Most Improved Player of 2022, Haddad Maia picked up right where she left off in her breakout season. The Brazilian No.1 dominated behind her serve, winning 73 per cent of her first-serve points.

Trevisan, a semi-finalist at Roland Garros last year, struggled to find any inroads. In the face of Haddad Maia's constant baseline and return pressure, she held serve just once in the match, getting broken six times.

The one hour and 18-minute victory moved Haddad Maia to 2-0 over Trevisan, having defeated the Italian in three sets last summer in Toronto.