Iga Swiatek defeated Elena Rybakina in a high-intensity match to lead Poland into their second straight United Cup final. Hubert Hurkacz had given Poland the lead earlier in the day with a win over Alexander Shevchenko.
On Saturday, January 4, Poland took on Kazakhstan in the semifinal of the 2025 United Cup. The men’s singles match between Hurkacz and Shevchenko kicked the tie off, and the World No. 16 came out on top 6-3, 6-2.
A clash of WTA titans unfolded, as Swiatek and Rybakina faced off at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney. Rybakina, one of the few players with a positive head-to-head record against Swiatek, led 5-3 in the first set. However, the Pole fought back to claim the set in a tiebreak.
In the second set, Swiatek secured a crucial break at 4-3 and sealed a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory. The World No. 2 had expressed concerns about a “sore” leg earlier in the tournament, playing with strapping on her right thigh after a grueling three-set quarter-final win over Britain’s Katie Boulter.
Despite injury worries leading into the semifinal against Rybakina, Swiatek delivered an impressive performance. She later dismissed concerns during her on-court interview, providing a positive update ahead of Poland’s second consecutive United Cup final.
Well, on my last match, it hurt me for some time, and yesterday I thought I was more panicking because it’s hard to say after, like, one day, you know, what’s really going on there. But nothing happened, in everybody’s opinion [laughing]. So I’m ready to play some more matches,” Iga Swiatek said (from 2:30).
She admitted that it is not possible to be the “freshest player” in such a tournament but also believed it was the “perfect preparation before the Australian Open.”
“You can’t give up in tennis because if you’re going to do it once, then you’re going to do it second time, third time, you know, so you always have to just try and I think I’m going to be fine. So it’s all good,” she added.
