Zizou Bergers beats Jakub Mencic to give Belgium lead in Fed Cup qualifiers on ATP Tour
federation cup
Burges beats Mensik to put Belgium ahead in Fed Cup qualifying
Mertens can tie with Krejcikova
January 8, 2026
Brett Hemings/Getty Images
Zizou Bergers secured his second win of the 2026 Confederation Cup by defeating Jakub Mencic in Sydney on Thursday night.
Author: ATP/WTA Staff
Zizou Bergers’ dream start to the season is only getting better.
After notching his biggest career win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the group stages, the Belgian beat Jakub Mencic 6-2, 7-6(4) on Thursday night to move 1-0 ahead of the Czech Republic in the Confederations Cup quarter-finals.
Burgess entered the match with a 2-16 record against top 20 opponents, but he has now won two in a row after defeating Muncik in 1 hour and 40 minutes. The 26-year-old failed to finish despite having two chances to serve, but eventually crossed the finish line.
“First, I didn’t even know I was up 5-4, and then I got broken and it was 5-5,” Burgess said. “Then I fight back and you just want to finish, you’re close, you’re scoring big points. I’m tight, I drop back, I play defense. So it was a really tough fight in the end. I’m really happy for myself and the team.”
Towards the end of the game, as the pressure to win mounted, Burgess began to play more conservatively. Suddenly, the ball he had been hitting with authority, he was pulled away, allowing the Czech to impose his will.
Mencic benefited from a ball that hit the net and almost bounced, winning his first serve of the match and staying alive. He then used a powerful backhand to break serve and chase the score to 5-6. Elise Mertens will now look to secure Belgium’s place in the Confederations Cup semi-finals against Barbora Krejcikova.
