WATCH: Taylor Fritz's United Cup SF opponent Tomas Machac screams at team captain in frustration 

Team USA’s Taylor Fritz’s opponent Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic was seen yelling at his team captain, Daniel Vacek, in frustration during their semifinal showdown at the United Cup. Machac later retired mid-match.

On Saturday, Machac went up against Fritz, with a strong opportunity to even the tie for his country after his compatriot Karolina Muchova's 6-1, 6-4 defeat to Coco Gauff. He was in control of the match, leading 7-6(4), 5-3, and just a game away from victory.

However, things took a dramatic turn as the Czech player lost three consecutive games. Despite having the upper hand, Machac grew visibly frustrated with each changeover. His emotions boiled over, and in the 12th game of the second set, he unexpectedly retired, handing the victory to Fritz with a score of 6(4)-7, 6-5.

Tennis TV later shared a clip from the match on X (formerly Twitter), showing Tomas Machac venting his frustrations at team captain Daniel Vacek as he complained about cramping in his legs.

Watch the video below:

Tomas Machac had experienced similar cramps in previous matches in Sydney, largely due to the humid weather. Vacek massaged his legs during changeovers, but even that wasn’t enough to prevent him from retiring.

Taylor Fritz shares his feelings on Tomas Machac retiring mid-match

Tomas Machac in 2025 United Cup - Sydney: Day 9 | Image Source: Getty

Taylor Fritz shared his thoughts on his victory against Tomas Machac in the semifinal of the 2025 United Cup after the latter was forced to retire mid-match. During a press conference, the American revealed:

“He told me that he had been cramping for a couple of games already. I'm not surprised that, like, someone could have started cramping in that match. I thought that it would probably happen later in the third set, but it was very humid in there. It was a very physical match, as well.”

Fritz mentioned that the abrupt ending of the match came as a surprise to him:

“Yeah, it happens, but I didn't expect it to kind of just, I guess, end so abruptly, because I didn't notice at the time that he was cramping.”

After Team USA’s 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in the semifinals, they are set to compete against Team Poland in the final. On Sunday, January 5, Coco Gauff will face Iga Swiatek, while Taylor Fritz will take on Hubert Hurkacz in the highly anticipated matchups.