Iga Swiatek becomes first player to reach impressive milestone as she leads Poland to United Cup victory
Iga Swiatek inspired Poland to reach the knockout stage of the 2025 United Cup with victories in singles and mixed doubles against the Czech Republic.
After teammate Hubert Hurkacz’s three-set defeat to Tomas Machac in the men’s singles rubber, Swiatek downed world No 22 Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4 to level the tie and force a decisive mixed doubles match in Sydney.
The five-time Grand Slam winner now holds a 3-1 head-to-head record against Muchova, who she defeated in the 2023 French Open final.
“Honestly I love playing Karolina,” the world No 2 revealed. “She always brings precision and intensity. She has a different game than most of the girls.
“It was a challenge. I was happy I got my intensity higher in the last two games. You looked like you were just enjoying your tennis.
“I knew what was at stake. In tough moments I tried to loosen up my hand and forced myself to not change any movements because of any thoughts.
“This is the most important thing in tennis. To try to use your intuition as much as possible. I think I did that in the last rallies for sure.”
Swiatek and Hurkacz then combined in the doubles to earn a 7-6(3), 6-3 triumph over Muchova and Machac, sealing a 2-1 win for Poland. The duo have improved their excellent record as a doubles pairing to 5-1.
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The victory ensured Poland, who beat Norway 2-1 in their opening tie, finished top of Group C. In the quarter-finals, Poland will face the best-placed runner-up from the groups that played in Sydney.
Swiatek’s win against Muchova was her 10th singles victory at the United Cup, making her the first female or male player to reach this milestone since the competition was introduced in 2023.
The 23-year-old Pole’s only singles defeat at the United Cup came against Jessica Pegula in 2023.
Asked if she has any New Year’s resolutions, Swiatek said: “Nothing specific honestly. I feel like I can have more distance after what happened to me the last couple of months.
“I’m gonna try to just enjoy tennis as I did today. It’s not always easy to do that. But I feel a lot of positive energy here in Sydney. Thank you for cheering for us.”
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