Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz led Poland to victory over top-seeded France in the semifinal of the 2024 United Cup on Saturday.
World No.9 Hubert Hurkacz defeated Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-5 in the opening match of the tie. It was followed by Iga Swiatek’s three-set win against Caroline Garcia 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
With this, they won the tie and secured a spot in the final and will face either Germany or host nation Australia in the mixed team competition decider on Sunday.
This will be Poland’s inaugural appearance at the United Cup, having previously faced a semifinal defeat against the United States in the last edition. Swiatek expressed her contentment with her comeback after losing the first set, emphasizing the need to stay calm and avoid rushing after a challenging first set.
Hurkacz played consistently well throughout the match to defeat Mannarino in 1 hour and 41 minutes. In the post-match interview, he mentioned staying positive and resilient as Mannarino’s game made him fight for every single point.
“He’s really difficult to play against; I was just fighting for every point and I was able to stay positive and was really resilient today.”
-Hubert Hurkacz in the post match on court interview
Following the victory over Caroline Garcia, Iga Swiatek was asked about the impact of Hubert Hurkacz’s earlier win, which gave Poland a 1-0 lead in the competition.
She acknowledged that playing after Hurkacz’s match made things a bit easier. She praised Hurkacz’s impressive performance, and she enjoyed watching his game.
Despite this, she focused on her own game and stated that if she made some mistakes the mixed doubles match at the end was a backup in her mind which made her feel secure throughout her match.
“For sure it was a bit easier. Hubi played a great match today. He had everything under control. It was nice watching that…But I’m still kind of focussing on myself no matter what. But I knew even if I make some mistakes, we’d still have mixed doubles. I was feeling pretty safe.”
-Iga Swiatek in the post match on court interview
Iga Swiatek and Zheng Qinwen encounter an unpleasant situation in a warm-up session
Iga Swiatek went on to defeat Zheng Qinwen in straight sets on December 3 and helped secure Poland’s spot in the semifinal. This marked Poland’s second consecutive appearance in the semifinal, after a heartbreaking loss to the United States in 2023.
Ahead of the match, Swiatek and Qinwen had an awkward moment during the warm-up when Swiatek unintentionally hit Qinwen’s arms during a serve. Despite a quick apology from Swiatek, Qinwen appeared displeased.
For all those who missed Iga hitting a tennis ball at full speed and aggressively towards Qinwen. And she didn't even apologise!
— Carlos Alcaraz is the GOAT (@GoatCaraz) January 3, 2024
I don't like the whole Pere Riba situation that has happened but violence is never the answer Iga!
In my opinion. https://t.co/wUenOtCIt6 pic.twitter.com/WyJWFvAmbQ
