Poland has advanced to the final of the United Cup mixed team tennis tournament after defeating France 2-0 on Saturday, following victories by Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek over their French opponents in the singles matches. Ninth-ranked Hurkacz withstood a late rally from French competitor Adrian Mannarino, winning 6-3, 7-5 to give top-seeded Poland a 1-0 lead in the tournament, which has a total prize pool of $10 million and started last week with 18 teams participating.
Swiatek (22 years old) faced a more challenging match against French player Caroline Garcia, losing the first set before recovering her rhythm and brilliance to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. She quickly took a 4-0 lead in the decisive set after an early break and maintained her advantage to secure her fourth consecutive singles victory this season ahead of the Australian Open, which begins later this month at Melbourne Park. The Australian Open will take place from January 14 to 28.