U.S., Australia enter knockout round undefeated at water polo world championships

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Stephania Haralabidis of United States competes during the FINA World Championships. (Albert ten Hove/Getty Images)

The U.S. women’s water polo team won all three of its group games at the FINA World Championships, starting off their title defense in strong fashion. The knockout stage of the tournament opens Sunday in Hungary.

The closest match for Team USA came against the Netherlands on Wednesday, an 11-7 win. They won Friday’s match against Argentina 23-3. With six world titles in water polo, the team hasn’t lost a world championship game since 2015 and hasn’t lost a playoff game since 2013.

The team is aiming for a fourth straight world title.

With the U.S. winning Group B, they’ve also earned a bye into the quarterfinals. Their match will take place at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday in Budapest. Their opponent will be determined Sunday during the crossover round.

Italy won two matches and tied against Canada to win Group A. The Italians beat Colombia on Friday 31-5. Australia went undefeated in Group C, beating opponents by a goal differential of 34, while Greece won Group D with two wins and a tie.

Play-in schedule:

  • New Zealand vs. France: Winner advances to face Italy
  • Kazakhstan vs. Spain: Winner advances to face United States
  • Hungary vs. Argentina: Winner advances to face Australia
  • Canada vs. Netherlands: Winner advances to face Greece