(Photo credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images)

World No. 3 Coco Gauff and world No. 6 Taylor Fritz will return to United Cup play in January, focused on defending the United States' title in the mixed-team event.

The Americans were named the top seeds on Thursday.

Eighteen countries are entered in the event, which will run from Jan.2-11, with matches played in Sydney and Perth, Australia.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz, who lost to the Americans in the final last year, will compete for Poland.

The draw will be held Monday.

Other pairs participating include world No. 3 Alexander Zverev and Eva Lys of Germany; world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini and Flavio Cobolli of Italy; three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka and Belinda Bencic of Switzerland; and world No. 10 Jack Draper and 2021 U.S. Open winner Emma Raducanu of Great Britain.

Canada will be represented by rising star Victoria Mboko and world No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime, with world No. 7 Alex de Minaur and Maya Joint playing for host Australia.

'The entry list for the United Cup this [Australian] summer is world class. We're excited to welcome five of the world's top 10 men and four of the world's top 10 women in 2026,' United Cup tournament director Stephen Farrow said.

'The United Cup holds a unique position in global tennis, with the world's best men and women committed to play in mixed teams and showcase equality in the sport.'

The top two men in the world, Jannik Sinner of Italy and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, will be competing in an exhibition match in South Korea during the time of the United Cup.

The top woman in the world, Aryna Sabalenka, is not entered. Her country, Belarus, does not have a team.

--Field Level Media