Iga Swiatek dealt a blow to Spain on Monday as Poland secured a 2-1 victory, earning a spot in the quarter-finals of the United Cup. Meanwhile, defending champions United States faced defeat against hosts Australia, sealing the Aussies’ own 2-1 triumph and a spot in the last eight.
In a dominant display, world number one Swiatek swept past Sara Sorribes Tormo with a 6-2, 6-1 victory in singles. She later joined forces with Hubert Hurkacz to seal the victory with a commanding 6-0, 6-0 win in mixed doubles, completing the tie in just 53 minutes.
Despite Hurkacz facing a setback in the opening singles, losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the top-seeded Polish team finished Group A with an impeccable 2-0 record, setting the stage for the quarter-finals.
Reflecting on her performance, Swiatek, who has dropped only seven games in two singles matches on her way to the Australian Open, emphasized the value of mixed doubles play. The 22-year-old remarked, “It’s lessons for the future and great practice. I hardly ever play mixed. You use different skills; it’s about feeling the geometry of the court.”
Hurkacz acknowledged Swiatek’s contributions, stating, “She carried me throughout the whole match; in every game, she was making amazing shots.” The world number nine expressed gratitude for his teammate’s stellar performance.
‘Playing for our lives’
Australia faced a tough challenge but secured an impressive victory over the United States to join Poland in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Alex de Minaur set the tone for the hosts by overcoming American Taylor Fritz, nullifying his powerful serve with a 6-4, 6-2 win. The 12th-ranked de Minaur required four match points and 90 minutes to secure the victory, expressing satisfaction with his performance and stating, “Today was a little bit of ‘new year, new me.'”
Despite a valiant effort from Ajla Tomljanovic, who couldn’t surpass the fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula, Australia leveled the tie with a hard-fought 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 victory.
Australia completed their evening’s work in mixed doubles, as Storm Hunter and Matt Ebden defeated Pegula and Rajeev Ram with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 score. Ebden emphasized the team’s determination, stating, “We were playing for our lives,” and Hunter expressed the significance of the win in front of the home crowd.
In Sydney, France secured a quarter-final spot by defeating Germany with the same scoreline. Alexander Zverev fought hard to give Germany a 1-0 lead, overcoming Adrian Mannarino in a three-set battle. However, France staged a comeback as Caroline Garcia defeated Angelique Kerber, who initially took the first set 6-1 but faltered in the next two.
The tie went to a mixed doubles decider, where the French duo of Garcia and Edouard Roger-Vasselin clinched victory over Kerber and Zverev with a 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 12-10 score.
In another match in Sydney, Casper Ruud led Norway to victory over Croatia. Despite a strong start by Croatia’s Donna Vekic, Ruud’s impressive 6-4, 6-1 win over Borna Coric leveled the proceedings. Ruud then partnered with Ulrikke Eikeri to secure the win in mixed doubles, defeating Vekic and Ivan Dodig 6-2, 3-6, 10-7. Ruud expressed his motivation for the new year, stating, “I’m fresh and I’m ready” after a successful start to the tournament.
