Can Belgium use their ‘Sydney atmosphere’ to beat the Czech Republic in Manchester United Cup qualifying? | ATP Tour
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Can Belgium use their ‘Sydney atmosphere’ to beat the Czech Republic in Manchester United Cup qualifying?
The two teams clash in Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup at Ken Rosewall Arena
January 7, 2026
Izhar Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Elise Mertens, Zizou Bergers and Barbora Krejcikova will compete in the Fed Cup in Sydney on Thursday.
Author: ATP/WTA Staff
Zizou Bergers could only point to his circumstances when asked to explain Belgium’s impressive run at the 2026 Confederations Cup so far after beating world number five Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Ken Rosewall Arena on Tuesday.
“You know, the atmosphere in Sydney,” Burgess said at the post-match press conference. The PIF ATP Ranking No. 42 will hope to continue that positive feeling in the New South Wales capital on Thursday, when he and his teammates take on the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals of the mixed team event.
Burges takes on fellow ATP Tour star Jakub Mensik in the singles opener at 5:30 pm local time, before compatriot Elise Mertens takes on Barbora Krejcikova in the WTA Tour singles match. If the teams are tied in singles, a mixed doubles match will be played to decide the winner, with the winner facing Switzerland in Saturday’s semifinals.
Reaching the quarter-finals seemed unlikely after Belgium lost to China in their opening match of the Confederations Cup, but they earned top spot in Group B with an upset 3-0 victory over second-seeded Canada. Mertens defeated rising teenage star Victoria Mboko in three sets to put her team on track for a sweep.
“I knew we had to win this game with three loves,” Mertens said after the win. “I think you still focus on your game and focus on what you can do. You give yourself 100 percent and that’s what we did. The team behind me gave me a lot of energy.”
At the same time, the Czech team also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 1-1 record in the group stage after defeating Norway 3-0 and losing 1-2 to the host Australia. The 20-year-old Mencic will be looking to set the tone in his first Lexus ATP showdown with Burgess, after a somewhat high-profile first meeting between two-time Grand Slam champions Krejcikova and Mertens.
The 30-year-old pair have played more than 1,200 singles matches in their careers but have never met. Like Burgess, Krejkova will look to the team spirit behind her for inspiration as she strives to maintain a perfect record in singles competition in Sydney this year.
“I’m really happy to be playing in this tournament, it’s a good game and we have a good team,” the Czech said earlier this week. “I think we have a really good team atmosphere and it works really well. It’s an honor to be here and experience this.”
