{"id":402967,"date":"2026-01-11T17:23:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T17:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/402967\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T17:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T17:23:10","slug":"poland-captures-first-united-cup-title-with-decisive-mixed-doubles-victory-despite-swiateks-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/402967\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland captures first United Cup title with decisive mixed doubles victory, despite Swiatek\u2019s loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

Third time was the charm for Team Poland. After years of heartbreak on the final stage, the Polish squad finally captured the United Cup trophy Sunday, defeating Switzerland 2-1 in a high-stakes final at Ken Rosewall Arena.<\/p>\n

The victory marks a historic milestone for Polish tennis, banishing the ghosts of consecutive runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2025. The title was secured by the doubles specialist duo of Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa, who defeated Belinda Bencic and Jakub Paul 6-4, 6-3 in the deciding mixed doubles rubber.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really happy. It\u2019s been our third final,\u201d said Polish captain Mateusz Terczynski. \u201cIt really tastes sweet, especially with such a nice team here, everyone sticking together, supporting each other no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

A Week of Polish Resilience<\/p>\n

Poland\u2019s path to the 2026 title was defined by consistency and a deeper roster than in previous years. Throughout the week, the team dominated Group F in Perth before moving to Sydney, taking down heavyweights including a revenge-fueled semifinal victory over the defending champion United States.<\/p>\n

However, the final got off to a rocky start for the favorites. Belinda Bencic, continuing a sensational 9-0 run across singles and doubles this week, stunned World No. 2 Iga Swiatek 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. Swiatek, who had looked invincible early in the set, suffered a rare second-set \u201cbagel\u201d and struggled with 36 unforced errors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t feeling so sharp with movements and with my legs,\u201d Swiatek admitted in the post-match press conference. \u201cBelinda is a very aggressive player when she gets in the zone\u2026 credit to her because she was pretty brave.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n \"\"
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Hurkacz\u2019s Heroic Return<\/p>\n

With Poland\u2019s back against the wall, Hubert Hurkacz provided the spark of the tournament. Playing in his first event after a seven-month injury layoff following knee surgery, Hurkacz battled past 40-year-old Swiss legend Stan Wawrinka\u2014who announced this will be his final season\u2014with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory.<\/p>\n

The win leveled the tie and reaffirmed Hurkacz\u2019s status as a top contender heading into the Australian Open. \u201cTo win that trophy, it tastes incredible,\u201d Hurkacz said. \u201cI think it\u2019s really unique and amazing we showed how strong we are as a Polish country in tennis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TeamTeam Poland and team Switzerland, United Cup final 2026 | \u00a9 <\/p>\n

Doubles Dominance<\/p>\n

While the stars drew the headlines, the title was won by the technical precision of the doubles court. Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa remained undefeated throughout the entire competition. Kawa\u2019s aggressive net play, highlighted by a sharp instinctual volley to seal the first set of the final, proved too much for the Swiss pair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to comment at all on the mixed doubles at the US Open anymore,\u201d said a defiant Zielinski, referencing past criticisms of his doubles standing. \u201cThere was nothing to prove\u2026 it was about playing for the team, playing for the country, and lifting the trophy together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team also traveled with an unofficial mascot: a stuffed flamingo named \u201cFlammie.\u201d \u201cHe migrates for the summer in Australia, then he goes back,\u201d Zielinski joked as the team prepared to head to Melbourne.<\/p>\n

As the focus shifts to the Australian Open, Poland leaves Sydney as champions. For Swiatek and Hurkacz, the \u201csoreness\u201d of the team event is a price worth paying for a maiden United Cup crown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Third time was the charm for Team Poland. After years of heartbreak on the final stage, the Polish…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402968,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[49,48,82,593],"class_list":["post-402967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}