Iga Swiatek's Australian Open journey ends with a positive outlook

MELBOURNE -- World No.1 Iga Swiatek dismissed any concerns after her surprising third-round loss at the Australian Open at the hands of 19-year-old Czech Linda Noskova. In fact, in comparison to her Round of 16 loss to Elena Rybakina in 2023, Swiatek says she leaves Melbourne with a healthier perspective.

"Last year, I felt like much more off the balance," Swiatek told reporters after the match. "I felt like the whole season may be just tough because of the start. I was expecting much more.

"This year I was more focused on just not the results and not the rankings but my game a little bit more. This year I feel like I just want to get back to work. I know I'm going to have plenty of chances during the season to show my game."

Swiatek leaves Australia with a 7-1 start to her season. After going undefeated at the United Cup for Poland, she picked up two more wins in Melbourne to take her win streak, the second longest of her career, to 18 matches. Noskova ended the streak there with a fearless display of aggressive baseline tennis.

Swiatek has not progressed past the Round of 16 in Melbourne since making the semifinals in 2021. Despite her scintillating performances in Perth and Sydney to start the year, the 21-year-old Swiatek admitted something just didn't click this year when she arrived at Melbourne Park.

"For sure I was more stressed than on other tournaments, especially first two rounds," she said. "But I think some things just didn't work as they did before, even though I was working the same way.

"I feel like I did really everything I could in preseason to improve some stuff that I wanted to. Then I came here and I wasn't playing natural anymore. My split step was too late sometimes. Reaction a little bit slower."

Regardless of what happens for the remainder of the tournament, Swiatek's No.1 ranking remains intact. With World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka defending 2,000 points from her title run last year, Swiatek will remain No.1 into February. Her next scheduled stops will be the back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments in Doha, where she is the two-time defending champion, and Dubai, where she made the final last year.

"I lost but I'm going to have more tournaments," Swiatek said. "I remember just last year getting back to work. I could reset and just focus on the next tournaments. So I'm going to do the same this year."

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It's been a few hours, and a very late night (morning really) and I'm still processing it all. Strangely this loss doesn't hurt as bad as some of the others. Maybe because I went into it with low expectations after seeing Iga's draw. 

But as is often the case my hopes/expectations rose when 2 of Iga's difficult rivals Rybakina and Ostapenko went out of the tournament (one right before her match). 

I often blame the media for jumping the gun and hyping things up when something like this happens because no matter what in this sport the old adage of  one match at a time still applies. 

All in all Iga didn't play a bad match far from it in fact. It was high quality from both. She didn't give up and fought to the end. 

I thought they were actually pretty evenly matched overall. Difference was her opponent was steadier in the key moments and even at the very end. 

Solid over all with blistering backhands that caused Iga all kinds of trouble. And a much better serve on the day. 

The first serve allowed her to get a lot of free points (had a total of 10 aces). Compared to Iga who  couldn't find her fist serve in the final set especially and it made things exponentially harder. Having to fight in every service game just to stay even. 

There was a moment where Noskova was serving for the match where Iga give it one last push and had love 30 if not for a bad volley at the net the whole outcome of the match could have changed (with her opponent having to defend 3 breakpoints instead). But there's no point in wondering about what ifs. 

After losing the first set her opponent changed tactics and seemed to relax more (probably because she felt like she had nothing to lose) whereas it was the opposite for Iga. She was the one who got more tense as it went on. 

A lot of people on social media kept mentioning that Iga wasn't playing at her best level from the start (not the way she was at United cup and the end of the year) forehand wasn't working lot's of errors etc. and sure there's probably a lot of truth in that. 

I thought that maybe one of the reasons for this performance was that Iga's first 2 matches were quite long and taxing not just physically but mentally as well. 

Something she's never really had to deal with before typically taking care of her opponents with ease in the early rounds of a Slam.

It would have certainly explained her concentration lapses and why she kept getting distracted with people moving round between games (which she knew is the new rule being introduced).  

However Iga herself disputed all this in her post match interview presser so I guess I'm way off base there.

The Australian Open just continues to be a place she's not comfortable at, or I guess more specifically the fast paced courts. 

For the moment it remains one of Iga's worst Grand Slams (2nd only to the grass of Wimbledon), but while it may not have worked out this year again I firmly believe that with Iga being only 22, one day everything will align and the title will be hers.

And it'll feel all the more sweet when it happens. 

So while the disappointment may be big right now for both Iga and her fans, in the grand scheme of things it'll be okay. 

This is only the first tournament of the year after all we have a whole season of tournaments ahead. Plus the Olympics which I know Iga will be making a priority.

It may not have been her best level, or the result we all wanted. But I enjoyed what we got and I'm proud of the fight nonetheless.  I think we as fans often take her losses harder than Iga herself which is one of the weirdest things about sport really. 

I was glad to see that the messages people were sending her after this loss were largely positive instead of all the hate she and her team kept receiving last year. Good to know people learned to censor themselves before spewing their anger on social media. 

I hope she gets some well deserved rest and relaxation now and allows that knee of hers to heal a bit. Before getting back to work next month. 

On to the Middle East.

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek comes back from brink of defeat to reach Aussie Open 3rd round

MELBOURNE -- Iga Swiatek was taken to the limit by Danielle Collins, but the World No.1 came from a double-break down in the third set to win 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Australian Open. Swiatek trailed 4-1 in the final set before winning five consecutive games to cap off a stunning comeback.

"Oh my god, I was at the airport already," Swiatek said jokingly on the court.

"It wasn't easy. I felt like I had the momentum going and then she started playing suddenly two times faster and I had no idea how to react to that for a couple of games. But I came back, and I thought the only thing I could focus on was myself. I stopped caring how she's going to play, I just focused on myself."

The victory extended Swiatek's active win streak to 18 consecutive matches, the second longest win streak of her career. She is now the sixth player since 2000 to achieve multiple streaks of 18 WTA-level wins after Serena Williams, Justine Henin, Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Lindsay Davenport.

Match notes: In a rematch of the 2022 Australian Open semifinal, Collins proved once again that her aggressive return game could unsettle Swiatek. On the same court two years ago, Collins hit Swiatek off the court to win 6-4, 6-1 to advance to her first major final.

Though the 30-year-old has seen her ranking drop to No.62 since that run, Collins channeled her Top 10-level tennis to keep the result in the balance until the late stages of the match.

Collins entered the match off a three-set victory over Angelique Kerber in the first round. Though she lost her last three meetings against Swiatek, which all came last season, Collins executed her game plan to perfection on Thursday.

How the match was won: With the match commencing under open air, Collins broke serve to lead 3-1 before a poor service game gave Swiatek the break right back. After the roof was closed due to rain at 3-3, the duo exchanged holds until Swiatek dug in to save game points and break Collins with physical play from the baseline. She held serve to seal the 78-minute rain-interrupted set.

Swiatek continued her charge by breaking for a 1-0 lead in the second set. Collins responded with a surge. Behind her big returns flat strokes pulling Swiatek into the tramlines, Collins reeled off five consecutive games. She hit just three unforced errors during that stretch. Swiatek saved four set points to get one break back, and wiped out another to hold and close the gap to 5-3.

Serving for the set for a second time, Collins got herself over the line and snuffed out Swiatek's thoughts of a comeback. Swiatek struggled to land her returns and Collins held serve at love to take the match into a third set.

After the set break, Swiatek returned to the court with a black band below her left knee and Collins pounced. With Swiatek struggling to find the length on her forehand, Collins earned two break points at 1-1, 15-40 with a clean backhand return winner. She broke two points later with the exact same shot, a devastating return that put her in the lead. Collins raced to a 4-1 lead after breaking Swiatek for a second time in the set.

Turning point: With the match seemingly out of her grasp, Swiatek slowed things down and methodically began her march back. She broke at love after Collins double-faulted and then saved three break points to hold to 4-3. With Collins now leaking more baseline errors, Swiatek put herself back on serve with yet another break, before holding at love to lead 5-4.

Having seen her lead evaporate in the blink of an eye, Collins fell behind at 15-40 as she served to stay in the match. The American did well to save two match points, but a perfectly feathered backhand up the line by Swiatek on her third match point finally sealed the victory after 3 hours and 14 minutes.

"I wanted to fight until the end," Swiatek said. "I knew she played just perfectly but it would be hard for anybody to keep that level, so I wanted to be ready when more mistakes would come from the other side and I wanted to push then. I did that at the end and I'm really proud of myself. It wasn't easy."

Final stats: Swiatek finished the match with 36 winners to 35 unforced errors, though just nine of those errors came in the final set. Collins struck 28 winners to 37 unforced errors, but broke the Pole's serve six times.

Swiatek explains her Houdini act: "You're not going to lie to yourself obviously that you're losing 4-1. The only thing you can do is just try again. At that point, you kind of know that you may lose. You can actually relax a little bit more because you know that, Okay, probably I'm going to lose, so I don't care anymore. Then it's easier. Sometimes it works like that.

"But it doesn't change the fact that I just kept trying. I kind of accept that I'm not going to only have these motivational and positive thoughts. When I go and start the rally, well, I hope most of the time I have the same kind of intensity.."

Up next: Swiatek will face the Czech Republic's Linda Noskova in the third round. The 19-year-old advanced to her first third-round at a Slam by defeating McCartney Kessler 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

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I'm not gonna lie with the scoreline of 2-4 40 love my finger was on my tv remote's power button and I considered turning the match off, I didn't want to see yet another loss to Danielle Collins at Australian Open (this time at the earliest stage in a Slam). 

But tennis is sort of like a car wreck where you often can't look away until the last ball is struck so I kept watching. And boy am I ever glad I did!. 

The way Iga turned this match around was something else (yes many would say that Danielle's level finally dropped) which allowed Iga back in, and maybe it did a little but Iga could have very well made some unforced errors giving the match to Collins. And she didn't at 2-4 40 she knuckled down and took it. 

Something I've only seen from Iga once before at last year's Roland Garros. 

To say my blood pressure was through the roof during this match would be an understatement. My heart was in my throat for the entirety of that final set (especially when Iga squandered 2 match points one with a bad overhead). 

But somehow she found a way to survive. In her post match interview she said that her mind was already at the airport which basically allowed her to play more freely without care maybe that's what did it. 

I like to think it's all the mental work she has been doing the last several years. Iga from 2 years ago would have lost this match.

Who knows maybe coming so close to defeat will help her relax a little and allow her to play even better. Although next she'll be playing a night match for the first time in the tournament so that means more adjustments. 

I'm hoping the slower night conditions might actually be beneficial against another big hitter in Noskova. It only gets harder from here with possibly Svitolina in the 4th round and of course the possibility of Ostapenko in the quarters (I'm hoping Vika Azarenka might have other ideas though). 

Her biggest threat Rybakina in the semis is out of course, so if she could somehow navigate the next few rounds we could finally reach new ground at this tournament. But for now we'll take it one match at a time. 

Jadza Iga!.

And on a side note I just have to say as someone who has been watching this sport since I was a teenager and I can honestly say what I witnessed on Day 5 of this tournament was otherworldly. 

There were close 5 setters everywhere you looked, players in jeopardy and a historic tiebreak that lasted 34 minutes with a score of 22-20. 

It was basically a tennis fan's dream that will be hard to replicate no matter what happens in week 2.

Iga Swiatek passes first test in Australian Open round 1

In a highly anticipated Australian Open first-round match between two Grand Slam champions Tuesday, World No.1 Iga Swiatek survived a stern challenge from Sofia Kenin inside Rod Laver Arena.

In the pair's first match since they met in the Roland Garros final four years ago, World No.1 Swiatek came from a break down twice in the first set against the woman who won her only major title in Melbourne in 2020. The American, that season's WTA Player of the Year, led 3-1 and served for a one-set lead at 5-4.

But Swiatek wrapped up the opener after more than an hour on court -- in a set in which she hit 21 winners to 12 -- and won the last five games in a 7-6(2), 6-2 victory that lasted 1 hour and 51 minutes.

Swiatek has now won her past 17 matches dating back to a loss to Veronika Kudermetova in Tokyo on Sept. 28. It's the longest winning streak on the Hologic WTA Tour since Swiatek posted a 37-match win streak in 2022.

Stat of the match: Swiatek snapped Kenin's four-match winning streak inside Rod Laver Arena. The American won her last three rounds in Melbourne's main stadium in her 2020 title run and her opening match the next year.

Meeting the moment: After Swiatek edged the first set tiebreak, she saved all three break points she faced in the second set. The first came in her first service game, which stretched to four deuces, and she wiped away a 15-40 threat in the sixth game after she broke Kenin previously at 2-2.

Swiatek speaks: "I felt a little bit off in terms of the timing. You could see I played a couple of frames," she said.

"For sure, the temperature was higher than any match I played this season. I needed to adjust to that. The balls were a little bit flying out of control. That's normal in these conditions.

"At the beginning, I knew I could do a little bit more in terms of the placement. I wanted to be more aggressive. But on the other hand I was backing down a little bit. I just wanted to go forward and be proactive and have initiative. For sure when I started second set, it was a little bit easier for me to do that."

Up next: Up next for Swiatek is a match against another American, Danielle Collins, against whom she lost in the semifinals of the 2022 Australian Open. But Swiatek has won their other five meetings, including three last year.

She lost just one game in two of them -- in Doha and Cincinnati -- but was pushed to three sets in Montreal.

"For sure I can't say that I have easy draw here," Swiatek said. "I'll try to do my best. Danielle is a really good player. We played really tight matches. On the other hand our last match was pretty -- I mean, from the score, I had it under control. We'll see.

"Every match is different. I'm not going to anticipate anything. I'm just going to be ready and we'll see."

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Ugh why couldn't Iga just play Angie Kerber in round 2. 

I cannot stand Danielle Collins I find her very abrasive. 

And her screaming after every point really gets on my nerves. 

Hopefully Iga will handle it and we can move on to a slightly easier 3rd round. After which the draw only gets worse (poor Iga received the draw from hell this tournament). 

I was really proud of the way Iga handled herself in this match. 

Didn't get too frustrated, or panic being down a break twice in the first set. 

And saved break points with some lovely clutch serving. 

A nice stern test that will undoubtedly help her going forward. 

On to the next one. 

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek named Poland's Sports person of the year 2nd year running

World No.1 Iga Swiatek was named Polish Sportsperson of the Year for the second consecutive year. The prestigious award has been presented since 1926 by Poland's oldest daily sports newspaper, Przeglad Sportowy.

In 2023, Swiatek followed up her remarkable 2022 campaign by successfully defending her Roland Garros title to rule in Paris for a third time and becoming the youngest active player to hold four Grand Slam titles. The 22-year-old also added five more Hologic WTA Tour titles to her collection, including her first WTA Finals win, Beijing, Stuttgart, Doha, and her home tournament in Warsaw.

And in a season that saw her 75-week reign at No.1 end after the US Open, Swiatek proved her resilience once again to come storming back to win her last 11 matches of the year and reclaim the top spot.

"My dad and my sister are probably still partying at the gala," Swiatek said. "I'm super proud of myself. It's the second year that I got to feel support from the fans and I really feel like they really appreciate my work and it's the best feeling ever.

"Hubi also came in the Top 10 in this ranking so I feel like it's a good day for Polish tennis for sure."

Last year, Swiatek became the first tennis player to win the prestigious award since 1937. Jadwiga Jedrzejowska, Poland's best player before the advent of Open Era tennis in 1968, won the award in 1936 and 1937.

Swiatek is currently representing Poland at the United Cup in Sydney. She has enjoyed an undefeated start to her 2024 campaign, going 5-0 in singles in the team competition.

The Polish star breathlessly accepted the award while riding an exercise bike in the player gym.

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Team Poland suffers heartbreak to Germany in United Cup final

 

Iga with her MVP trophy 

Germany completed a memorable comeback in the early hours of Monday morning to knock off Poland 2-1 for the United Cup trophy.

After Alexander Zverev saved two championship points against Hubert Hurkacz, Zverev returned to Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia alongside Laura Siegemund to defeat Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek 6-4, 5-7, 10-4 in a match that ended at 12:45 a.m. local time.

Earlier on Sunday, No.1-ranked Swiatek gave Poland the early lead with a 6-3, 6-0 win against Angelique Kerber before Zverev and Germany leveled the championship.


The match remained in the balance until Swiatek engineered the only break of the set. After saving three more break points on her own serve, Swiatek overpowered the Kerber serve to break to 5-3 and serve out the set.

"I felt like she was really picking the right spots to play and she surprised me sometimes with her decision-making and choices," Swiatek said. "I knew she could play like that but I didn't have much time to get into the rhythm because she was really aiming sometimes these balls inside out."

Swiatek would run off a streak of nine consecutive games to complete the 70-minute win.

"I feel like I really improved during the preseason, and I'm happy that I played such solid matches here," Swiatek said. "It's really fun and it's really exciting to play with my teammates and for Poland. I'm really excited to win all my matches for Poland."

Despite her country’s loss, Swiatek continued her dominant form from a year ago. Her victory against against Kerber extended her active win streak to 16 matches, a stretch that began last fall with runs through Beijing and Cancun to end the season.

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Well that's not the result I wanted to see when I woke up this morning. They were so incredibly close. Hubi had 2 match points. 

Honestly if it wasn't for Laura Siegemund's doubles experience Germany wouldn't even be in the final, they would have lost along the way to France or Australia.

This one hurts, but I'm so enormously proud, they fought like lions in that mixed doubles super tiebreak. And even though Hubi didn't win he left his heart out there. Fantastic fight and result nonetheless.

Hubi will just have to make it up to Iga by helping to win gold for Poland at the Olympics this summer :)

Iga really was the Most Valuable Player on the team and she rightfully deserves that lovely silver plate. 

The emotions that poured out at the end were heart breaking to watch. It's always tough for me to see Iga cry, but at the same time I appreciate the show of emotion when something means a great deal to her.

And this meant a lot. 

The next time I hear someone complaining that Iga doesn't play for her country at BJK Cup, or refers to her as unpatriotic I'm gonna point them to this final. 

It may not have ended the way we hoped, but Iga is in fantastic form on a 16 match win streak going back to last year. 

Her new service motion is working quite effectively and she's playing as confidently as she was right at the end of the season. 

Plus by winning all her matches she gained 500 ranking points to continue to stay on top ahead of Sabalenka. So lot's of positives to take away.

I got way to invested in this tournament, all the late nights are making me feel a hang over usually reserved for the end of a Slam. This sport really has a way of messing with one's emotions. 

With all that said I'm already looking forward to more the Australian Open in a week's time. 

Jazda!

Iga Swiatek & Hubi Hurkacz send Team Poland into the final at United Cup

Poland moved into their first United Cup final behind victories Sunday by Top 10 stars Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz at the mixed-teams event in Sydney.

In the day’s second singles match, the World No.1 Swiatek battled from behind, notching a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 win over 20th-ranked Caroline Garcia of France to clinch her nation’s semifinal tie.

"I’m happy that I came back and I didn’t make so many mistakes as in the first set," Swiatek said on court. "For sure, Caro was putting pressure as usual, so I’m happy that we’re through to the final.

“Sometimes it’s a bit hard to point [to] one thing that changed [after the first set]. I just feel like I needed to calm down a little bit and not rush it, and also observe the ball a little bit more, because I felt like I was sometimes off the timing. Maybe because we came from Perth, but for sure I needed some time to adjust, and I did that, so I’m happy.”

Poland has now improved upon their result from last year’s inaugural United Cup, where it fell in the semifinal round to eventual champion United States. This year, Poland is seeded No.1 and has lived up to that designation by making the final, where the team will face the winner of Saturday night’s tie between Germany and the home team Australia.

Swiatek led Garcia 3-1 in their head-to-head coming into Saturday’s matchup, but their rivalry has recently been complicated for the top-ranked women’s player. In their prior meeting at WTA 1000 Beijing in October, the former World No.4 Garcia was two points away from the upset before Swiatek prevailed 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 6-1.

On Saturday, Garcia’s imposing aggression troubled Swiatek in the early stages. After saving three break points in her opening service game, the Frenchwoman’s overpowering return game led her to the only break of the set at 4-3. Swiatek saved a set point with an ace at 5-3, but she could not prevent Garcia from serving out the set in the following game.

However, Swiatek grabbed the momentum with her own power game in the second set, where she never faced a break point. Swiatek raced out to a quick 5-0 lead before converting her third set point at 5-1.

A commanding love break by Swiatek opened the deciding set, and after she saved two break points in a tricky hold for 2-0, the Pole was relatively unbothered on her way to victory. Swiatek won 70 percent of return points in the third set.

In the tie's opening match, Hurkacz, ranked at a career-high No.9, defeated tricky lefty Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-5.

“I think definitely today was a real battle. Adrian was playing really, really tricky shots and it’s really difficult to play against,” Hurkacz said. “So I was just battling for every single point and I think mentally I was able to stay in the present, stay positive before each point and I think I was also really resilient today.”

Hurkacz walked into Ken Rosewall Arena level at 2-2 in head-to-head with Mannarino. The two-time Nitto ATP Finals competitor (2021 and 2023) played well in the critical moments and defended his serve without problem to triumph after 1 hour and 41 minutes.

At 4-5 in the second set, Hurkacz maneuvered out of a difficult serving game with clutch play, including a point in which Mannarino hit two shots that bounced off the net and in. Hurkacz finished the point by hitting a winner around the netpost before encouraging the roars from the Sydney crowd.

In the next game, the seven-time ATP Tour titlist capitalized on his momentum by crushing a forehand winner down the line for the critical break. He then held to love and raised his arms in celebration.

Poland completed its 3-0 victory when Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski claimed a 6-3, 6-3 mixed doubles win over Elixane Lechemia and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

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Iga Swiatek, Hubert Hurkacz send Team Poland into semis 2nd year in a row at United Cup

Poland and Australia have advanced to the United Cup semifinals in Sydney.

World No.1 Iga Swiatek propelled Team Poland into the United Cup semifinals for the second straight year by defeating China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-2, 6-3 in Perth on Wednesday.

Following the win by her fellow Top 10 Polish player Hubert Hurkacz in the opening men’s singles match, four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek needed 1 hour and 34 minutes to beat Zheng and clinch the quarterfinal tie.

Poland, which lost to eventual champion United States in last year’s final four, will now travel from Perth to Sydney to compete in this weekend’s semifinals.

"I’m really happy with my game, and also how the atmosphere in the team is," Swiatek said on court after her win. "I really feel like we can just be better when we’re together, so for sure playing [with Hurkacz] is an exciting thing to do, and I’m real happy with every match that I play here."

Zheng, 21, ranked at a career-high No.14 and the 2023 WTA Most Improved Player, came into the match 0-4 against Swiatek but she had pushed her to a deciding set on three of those four occasions.

The top Chinese player went ahead by an early break on Wednesday and collect her first win over a reigning World No.1.

But Swiatek regrouped, and from 2-0 down, she won the next six games to sweep through the first set. Swiatek went 3-for-3 on break points in the opener.

Zheng continued to battle in the second set, fighting back from 3-0 down and saving five break points in a gutsy hold for 3-3.

However, Swiatek reclaimed the break at 5-3 with a sturdy return game, then converted her second match point to seal a trip to the semifinals for her nation. Swiatek won 80 percent of points when returning the Zheng second serve.

"I played up to my expectations in my singles," Swiatek said. "Qinwen put some pressure on me, especially at the beginning of the match, but I was able to go even a level higher. I'm happy with how I played."

In the first match of the tie, Hurkacz moved Poland to the brink of the semifinals when he defeated Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-4 and put his country 1-0 up.

Hurkacz swung freely throughout the 1-hour, 22-minute match in Perth, backing up thunderous first serves with big forehands to improve to 3-1 in the pair’s head-to-head record.

“It is always a tough match against him," Hurkacz said. "He can play amazing shots and is such a tough competitor. I am really happy with that victory today.

“I believe I have more in my game but I was really happy with my performance today. Iga is insane. She is going to fight really hard for Poland now."

Hurkacz is now 2-1 on the new season, having also defeated Thiago Seyboth Wild in Perth. Last year the 26-year-old clinched the second ATP Masters 1000 title of his career in Shanghai.

Katarzyna Piter and Jan Zielinski made it a perfect day for Poland, coming in to win the mixed doubles 6-3, 5-7, [10-7] over You Xiaodi and Sun Fajing.

In the evening session, Australia stunned Serbia to book the home team's spot in its first United Cup semifinal. ATP No.12 Alex de Minaur led the way with an inspired upset over World No.1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4. De Minaur delivered a top-class all-around performance, during which he won 33 of 34 points behind first serves, to notch the biggest win of his career in 94 minutes.

Ajla Tomljanovic followed de Minaur to seal the victory, defeating Serbia's Natalja Stevanovic 6-1, 6-1 to give Australia an insurmountable 2-0 lead.

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Iga Swiatek & Hubert Hurkacz take Team Poland into the quarter-finals at United Cup

Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz sealed Poland’s place in the United Cup quarterfinals on Monday when they cruised past Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-0, 6-0 in Perth.

In a winner-takes-all mixed doubles clash in Group A, Hurkacz and Swiatek ensured the top seed reached the last eight with a dominant display inside the RAC Arena. They won 78 percent (19/24) of their first-serve points, not facing a break point to triumph after just 43 minutes.

Poland reached the semifinals at the 18-country mixed-teams event last season and is the first team to advance to the quarterfinals at this year’s event.

"I was super proud because they really showed off today," said Polish captain Tomasz Wiktorowski. "Hubie had a tough opponent in the first match. Then he stepped up for mixed doubles. It was a great performance in mixed doubles.

"I'm also super proud of Iga because we had a tough offseason just behind [us]. It's always nice when right after offseason, during the official matches, we see that what we've done is working at the moment."

Spain started the day on top by winning the men's singles. Davidovich Fokina notched the first point for Spain with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 upset of Hurkacz.

In a tight matchup inside the RAC Arena, Davidovich Fokina was impressive on second-serve points. He won 74 percent of points behind his second delivery and 55 percent on Hurkacz’s second serve, advancing after 2 hours and 3 minutes.

Davidovich Fokina, who opened his season with a straight-sets win against Thiago Seyboth Wild, now leads Hurkacz 4-2 in their head-to-head. The 24-year-old Spaniard has also improved to 6-24 in his record against players inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings.

But Poland's comeback began when World No.1 Swiatek grabbed a 6-2, 6-1 win over Sorribes Tormo.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek celebrated the new year with her 1-hour and 28-minute win over Sorribes Tormo, the top-ranked Spanish woman at World No.48. Swiatek improved her head-to-head with Sorribes Tormo to 3-0 (6-0 in sets).

"This match was pretty physical, even though it was 6-2, 6-1," Swiatek told the press. "It was much tougher than it looked."

On Monday, Swiatek was forced to save four break points within her first three service games. But those proved to be the only break points the WTA’s top-ranked player faced in a match where she never lost serve.

Swiatek’s power game clicked into place during a commanding love break for 4-2, punctuated by a return winner. Two games later, Swiatek collected the one-set lead with a backhand winner on her second set point.

Swiatek saw four break points slip away at 1-0 in the second set, but she took charge for good shortly thereafter with an aggressive break for 3-1. Swiatek cruised home from there to capture her 13th straight match-win, with her two victories so far in Perth backing up consecutive titles at Beijing and the WTA Finals to close out the 2023 season.

"I'm really happy with my level and the way I'm focused," Swiatek said. "I'm not feeling rusty. I'm not feeling like I need to get into a lot of rhythm. I'm playing freely, the same way I felt in Beijing, after US Open basically. I'm just happy to be in that place."

wtatennis.com