Agency :
Poland returned to the semi-finals of the United Cup mixed teams tournament for a third successive year after hard-fought singles victories in Sydney handed them an unassailable 2-0 lead over Britain on Thursday.
Iga Swiatek settled the tie after an almighty battle with Katie Boulter, prevailing 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-4 as the 2023 runners-up booked a last-four clash with Kazakhstan in the US$10 million (S$13.7 million) tournament, ahead of the Jan 12 to 26 Australian Open.
“I’m just exhausted,” said Swiatek after the near three-hour marathon at Ken Rosewall Arena. “I’m happy that I won, so that I don’t need to play mixed doubles. This match was crazy, so many changes of momentum.”
Swiatek squandered a 4-1 lead in the opening set, which her opponent clinched in 74 minutes after an inspired comeback.
But the world No. 2 was not to be denied as she romped through the second set and shrugged off a right leg issue in the decider to outlast Boulter.
“I thought I had it under control in the first set but I got tight. I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake in the third and I took four pain killers,” Swiatek said.
“A lot hurt, but I’m happy that I won and for sure I’m going to need the day off tomorrow.
“If they give me space to lie down (in the dugout) I’ll take a nap… I think I’ll just go to the locker and die.”
Hurkacz clinched a tight opening set when Billy Harris sent a backhand long in the tiebreak and then stepped up a gear late in the second set to seal a 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 victory and put his team ahead 1-0 in front of delighted fans.
“Definitely super pleased with myself,” Hurkacz said, after his first singles win of the tournament.
“Today was a really difficult battle with Billy… This win is so crucial to get more confidence and get another match in.”
Elsewhere in Australia, Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka were in ominous form ahead of the Australian Open as both powered into the Brisbane International quarter-finals on Jan 2.
On a day when rising stars Mirra Andreeva and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard underlined their potential, Djokovic cruised past fellow veteran Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-3 in 72 minutes.
In the women’s draw, world No. 1 Sabalenka – who is aiming to win the Australian Open for the third time in a row – beat Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.
Djokovic and Monfils played an entertaining match, but the 37-year-old Serb was always in control as he notched his 20th straight win over the Frenchman.
Former world number one Djokovic plays giant American Reilly Opelka in the last eight.
“We’ve been playing a long time, I’ve known Gael since I was 15 and he was 16,” said Djokovic, who is pursuing a record 25th Grand Slam singles title at Melbourne Park later in January.
“I’ve had a good score against him over the years but we’ve had some incredible battles on different surfaces. Hopefully we can play some more before we both retire.”
The 17-year-old Russian Andreeva demolished Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-0 in the women’s draw while Mpetshi Perricard downed fourth-seeded American Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) to reach the quarter-finals.
A year after losing to the same player at the season-opening event, Andreeva displayed her improvement over 2024 with a 63-minute romp over the Czech Republic’s Noskova.
