The new tennis season has started and already players are falling foul of the rules.

This one, though, does seem a tad harsh – as Beatriz Haddad Maia found out to her detriment.

Christmas dinners had barely been digested when rackets began swinging again in the United Cup in Australia.

The event, now in its third edition, is a mixed-gender team tournament played outdoors on hard courts.

In total 16 nations qualified and, on the opening day, Brazil and China faced off in Group E.

In Perth, Brazilian No.1 Haddad Maia faced off against Gao Xinyu but things did not go to plan for the world number 17.

Her rival, only 170th on the planet, was a late replacement for Olympic champion Zheng Qinwin.

But she proved to be more than a match and, after winning the first set 7-5, Haddad Maia found herself in trouble.

The second went to Gao 6-4 to level the match.

But in the third set the Brazilian then began to cramp and when leading 4-3 she was suffering so severely she was forced into a dramatic change.

No longer able to serve in the usual overarm manner, she had to go underarm.

Usually a tennis star in pain can opt for a medical timeout, however, cramp is a separate issue.

2

It’s considered a conditioning problem – understandable when Haddad Maia was going into a third hour in her first match of the 2025 season.

The Brazilian wasn’t the only one struggling with Gao also enduring pain in the three hour and 20 minute match – the longest in the competition’s history.

In the end it was Gao who took the final set 7-5 halting the marathon and allowing both to get the needed treatment.

Things went from bad to worse for Brazil in their tie with China though as they were whitewashed by their rivals.

Zhang Zhizhen beat Thiago Monteiro 6-3 6-0 before Zhang Shuai and Zhizhen beat Carolina Alves and Rafael Matos 6-4 7-5.

Brazil face Germany next on December 29 with Haddad Maia playing twice.

First she will face Laura Siegemund and then she will play the same opponent and Alexander Zverev when she forms a doubles partnership with Matos.