SYDNEY, Australia -- Jessica Bouzas Maneiro stepped in for an injured Paula Badosa and delivered a win for Spain, but in the end, it was Team Australia that won 3-2.
Ranked No.193 and making her WTA main-draw debut, Bouzas Maneiro defeated Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday at the United Cup.
Australian Jason Kubler then leveled the tie at 2-2, before the team of Sam Stosur and John Peers knocked off Bouzas Maneiro and David Vega Hernandez 6-2, 6-3 to clinch the win for the Aussies.
With Great Britain already confirmed as the winner of Group D, neither Spain nor Australia will advance out of the group stage.
Spain's No.1 Badosa was ruled out of the match with a shoulder injury, giving Bouzas Maneiro, 20, an opportunity to earn her first WTA win. Gadecki, ranked No.202, was also a late call-up, replacing an injured Zoe Hives.
The match pitted two relatively inexperienced 20-year-olds against each other for pride and ranking points. The closest Bouzas Maneiro had previously come to the main tour was three failed qualifying campaigns, twice in Madrid and once in Tenerife.
In contrast, despite playing only six main-draw matches on the WTA Tour, Gadecki can already count a Top 5 win to her name. As an 18-year-old, Gadecki upset then-No.4 Sofia Kenin at the 2021 Phillip Island Trophy.
Bouzas Maneiro handled the occasion like a veteran. Serving at 77% for the match, she won 70% of her first-serve points while saving two of the three break points she faced. Gadecki struggled under the Spaniard's return pressure, getting broken five times in the 80-minute match.
Kubler defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Supported by a vocal home crowd, the Australian produced an all-court display, running down every shot to seal his victory in 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Kubler, 29, who fired 10 aces and broke serve four times, holds a 2-0 record on the new season.
