SYDNEY — Iga Swiatek’s fitness and form concerns are overshadowing Poland’s victory over Switzerland in the United Cup final in Sydney.
Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski won Poland’s first title with a strong 6–4, 6–3 win over Belinda Bencic and Jakub Paul in the decisive mixed doubles rubber under a closed roof at the Ken Rosewall Arena.
The Swiss defeat deprived Bencic of a perfect 10 out of 10 for the tournament, with the post-tournament MVP and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist defeating an ailing Swiatek 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 for her fifth consecutive singles win and four doubles successes with unseeded Paul.
Hubert Hurkacz equalized Switzerland’s inspired game with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over captain Stan Wawrinka.
The 40-year-old triple Grand Slam winner sent fans into frenzy and waved love signals to the confused crowd after pulling his 16th-seeded Swiss underdogs to within a set of unlikely Cup glory in the $17 million mixed showpiece.
Wawrinka wowed the crowd with one of the loveliest one-handed backhands ever seen in tennis, while Hurkacz threatened to settle under the sheer pressure of trying to keep the Poles in the tie.
Alas, the retiring champion was left disappointed after winning the second set, as Poland secured the United Cup crown for the first time after losing consecutive finals in 2024 and 2025.
But while her team was happy, Swiatek will head to Melbourne on Monday with her health and game under intense scrutiny after a series of mysterious meltdowns and disappointing performances in Sydney.
In a worrying development just a week before the Australian Open, the world number two left the court for treatment after suffering a rare concussion during her loss to Bencic.
Swiatek was in a state of complete despair by the end, throwing her racket across the court and crying after her second consecutive loss at the event.
While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka underlined her Open bias with a third consecutive Brisbane International title on Sunday, Swiatek, the closest player to the Belarusian in the rankings, also suffered a straight sets defeat to world No. 4 Coco Gauff on Saturday night.
The six-time Grand Slam winner was also seen crying at the first change during Friday night’s win over Australian Maya United.
Swiatek, excited by Poland’s victory, did not pay any attention to any issue.
He said, “Everything is fine. It’s just very sore.”
“The first tournament of the year, it makes the body feel a little different. Different than during the season.
“But I had a similar experience last year, so I’ll get a good recovery with just a few days off.
“Also, these team events, I really like them, but they really take a lot of energy out of you.
“So I still need to figure out how to balance that in the future because I get too excited on the bench.
“To be honest, it’s almost like playing a match, yes, it’s all good.”
But after clinching the third leg of a famous career Grand Slam with a famous 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final victory last July, the 24-year-old’s health and playing state will be one of the major talking points in the countdown to the season’s first major, starting next Sunday at Melbourne Park.
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