SYDNEY: Poland beat Switzerland 2-1 on Sunday in the United Cup final to banish the pain of title round defeats in the previous two editions and secure a long-awaited maiden triumph in the season-opening mixed team competition.
Hubert Hurkacz continued his resurgence in his first event after a nearly seven-month injury absence by beating veteran Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to level the tie at 1-1 after Iga Swiatek lost 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to an inspired Belinda Bencic.
The mixed doubles duo of Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski then beat Bencic and Jakub Paul 6-4, 6-3 in the deciding match to spark jubilant scenes in Sydney, where Poland finally converted their dominance into silverware.
“We finally made it. Third time was lucky,” Swiatek said.
“We worked hard…I want to thank the team. This year it was such a team effort, I really felt the support. Even though my singles performance wasn’t perfect, you lifted my spirits and you all believed in it until the end.”
Bencic has won 12 of the last 15 matches against a shell-shocked Swiatek, securing her second victory over the world number two.
“To be honest, I felt like I was in the match from the first point,” said Bencic, who won all five of his singles matches in the tournament.
“I thought I was doing well and I was down 0-3. I was like, ‘OK, what should I do?’ “I think I just tried to keep the level and wait for a few chances.”
The victory capped a superb campaign for Poland, who beat last year’s champions the United States in the semi-finals, and allowed Hurkacz to continue her singles momentum at the Australian Open which begins on January 18. Playing his final season on tour, Wawrinka pushed Hurkacz hard to force a deciding set in the second singles encounter, but the 40-year-old failed to secure the victory that would have secured the tie.
“He’s definitely an inspiration,” Hurkacz said of the three-time major champion.
“I grew up watching him play and compete and win so much. His style of play is really powerful. The shots he makes sometimes, you can really admire them even when you’re on the other side of the net.”
Hurkacz was equally impressive that day, hitting 18 aces and saving eight of the nine break points he faced in the match to set up the decider, where the experience of Kawa and Zielinski helped Poland prevail.
Published in Dawn, January 12, 2026
