Tsitsipas Lights Up Greece's Davis Cup Start with Victory Over Japan

Greece passes a tough hurdle against Japan in the Davis Cup opener, as it marks the start of a hopeful 2026 campaign in Perth, Australia.

Match highlights and singles battles

After a 2025 season packed with challenges, Stefanos Tsitsipas opened his 2026 campaign on a positive note in Perth, guiding the Greek team to a victory in the opening clash against Japan in the Davis Cup.

Maria Sakkari began the tie with authority, delivering a straight-sets win over four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who is currently world No. 16, by 6-4 and 6-2 in 1 hour and 38 minutes.

Sakkari built the two-set lead with a strong start, moving ahead 2-0 in the first. Osaka pressed but Sakkari stayed calm and closed out the set with a backhand winner.

After the match, Sakkari said: "You always have to be careful in the season's first match. I forced myself not to over-hype and focused only on applying what I trained in the lead-up."

Following Sakkari’s victory, Tsitsipas took the court to seal the tie for Greece by beating Japanese Shintaro Mushizuki (world No. 99) 6-3, 6-4.

This was Tsitsipas’s first official match since September due to a back injury. Despite an early broken serve, he regained his rhythm and delivered a composed performance reminiscent of his best form.

The Greek star added after the win: "I've gone through tough months filled with uncertainty about my ability to compete again. Seeing myself at this level and playing good tennis is something I’m grateful for."

The Greeks didn’t stop at singles, carrying momentum into the mixed doubles where they defeated Yasutaka Uchiyama and Nao Hibino 6-2, 6-3 to complete a 3-0 Greek victory, the day's second of its kind after Argentina beat Spain.

Punchline: If comebacks came with a trophy, Tsitsipas would be lobbying for the world to file a claim with the back injury department. Punchline 2: In tennis, a good serve is like a good punchline—timing is everything, and Greece just delivered both.