World No. 1 Iga Swiatek became emotional and had very teary eyes following Poland’s heartbreaking United Cup final loss to Germany.
On Sunday, Swiatek ousted Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-0 in the opening match of the Poland and Germany tie. In the following match, Hubert Hurkacz missed out on a golden chance to seal the title for Poland after he blew two match points in a 7-6 (3) 6-7 (6) 4-6 loss to Alexander Zverev.
After Hurkacz failed to close out the final in his singles match against Zverev, Swiatek had to return to the court one more time. In the deciding mixed doubles match, Swiatek and Hurkacz lost in three sets as Laura Siegemund and Alexander Zverev claimed a 6-4 5-7 10-6 win to give Germany its first United Cup title.
Swiatek remains optimistic Poland could win the United Cup in the near future
At the inaugural United Cup edition in 2023, Poland reached the semifinal. This year, Poland enjoyed another deep run and this time went a step further but still didn’t go home with the title.
Swiatek, a four-time Grand Slam champion, played a major part in Poland’s 2024 United Cup run. In singles, Swiatek went a perfect 5-5. As a mixed doubles pair with Hurkacz, Swiatek went 2-1. Swiatek finished the 2024 United Cup by going 7-1 in her matches but unfortunately that one loss came with a huge price.
“It was really tight. Last year we made it to the semi-finals, this year to the final so hopefully the next step is going to be winning,” Swiatek said.
Swiatek may not have won the United Cup title with Poland but she still had a great preparation for the Australian Open. In a week, 22-year-old Swiatek will kick off her sixth Australian Open campaign with the hopes of winning it all at Melbourne Park for the first time in her career.
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