The Polish tennis team concluded their memorable run at the United Cup by defeating Switzerland 2-1 in Sunday's final, securing their first-ever title in the season's opening mixed team tournament.
After two consecutive years of failing in the finals, the Polish players finally realized their dream of conquering the title.
In the opening women's singles match of the United Cup finals on January 11th (Vietnam time), Iga Swiatek was unable to give Poland an advantage, losing to Belinda Bencic with a score of 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.
The world number 2 started impressively, quickly taking a 3-0 lead in the first set with an aggressive and powerful playing style. However, Bencic's performance improved as the match progressed, gradually regaining control before completely dominating in the second set and creating a lead in the deciding set, giving Switzerland a temporary 1-0 advantage.
Under pressure to win, Hubert Hurkacz showed his mettle in the men's singles match, defeating former Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, leveling the score for the Polish tennis team.
In the final season of her career, the 40-year-old Swiss player put in a spirited performance, forcing her opponent into a deciding set. However, with consistent form after a long period of absence due to injury, Hurkacz hit 18 aces and successfully saved 8 out of 9 break points faced, thus taking the final to a mixed doubles tiebreaker.
In the crucial match, the pair Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski played confidently, overcoming Belinda Bencic and Jakub Paul with a score of 6-4, 6-3. Experience and teamwork helped the Polish representatives control the match, securing the overall victory and creating moments of overwhelming emotion on the Ken Rosewall court (Sydney).
Speaking after the match, Iga Swiatek emotionally said: “Finally, we did it. The third time was truly a stroke of luck. The whole team worked very hard and always believed in each other until the very last minute.”
The first United Cup title was a well-deserved reward for Poland's impressive journey, in which they eliminated the defending champions, the USA, in the semi-finals.
This victory also provided Hubert Hurkacz with a positive psychological boost ahead of the Australian Open, which begins on January 18th, while Iga Swiatek, despite suffering two consecutive defeats in the final stages of the tournament, is still considered one of the top contenders at the first Grand Slam of the year.
The United Cup is a mixed team tennis tournament featuring 18 national teams, held in Perth and Sydney. It serves as an important warm-up tournament before the Australian Open – the first Grand Slam of the year, where top world players aim to conquer the major title at the start of the season.
According to the United Cup format, each match between two national tennis teams consists of three games: men's singles, women's singles, and mixed doubles. The team that wins two of the three events will be the overall winner. This format not only emphasizes the all-around strength of each team but also creates excitement and drama, as the outcome can be decided in the final mixed doubles match.