federation cup
Hulkac, Swiatek help Poland advance to Fed Cup quarter-finals
Poland face Australia in Sydney on Friday
January 7, 2026
Brendan Thorne/Getty Images
Hubert Hurkacz defeated Tallon Griekspoor in straight sets in Sydney on Wednesday.
Author: ATP/WTA Staff
Poland advanced to the Fed Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday as Hubert Hurkacz beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 7-6(4). Iga Swiatek then defeated Suzan Lamens 6-3, 6-2 to seal the victory.
Going into the day, Poland needed to win a game to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the mixed team event. Hurkac wasted little time, hitting 20 aces on serve and facing no break points.
“I definitely don’t know how I’m going to start the season. It’s been seven months since I played, so you really don’t know what to expect,” Huckach said. “I played well in training, but training is a lot different than a game when you have so many emotions and you have fans around you. I was very surprised and happy with the performance there.”
Prior to this tournament, Hurkacs had not played since June 2025 due to a knee injury that required surgery. But the former PIF ATP No. 6 has performed well in the new season, defeating world No. 3 Alexander Zverev and Grix Spur in straight sets.
“You’re excited to be here after such a long time and it also gives you a different perspective on things,” Huckach said. “I think that’s why I’ve been able to perform better and even stay calm in difficult moments.”
Swiatek lost no time in rewriting the score to 2-0. At the 2025 U.S. Open, Swiatek was forced into three sets by Ramens in the first set. He reversed the first set 3-3 and won 9 of the last 11 games.
In Poland’s first group match, Swiatek struggled with her serve in the season opener against Germany’s Eva Rice and was broken seven times, but in the match against Lamens, Swiatek cleaned up the situation significantly and improved the score to 2-0. She held serve five times, won 84% of her first serve points, and faced only one break point.
“I’m really happy that I found a way to be more solid in the middle of the first set because everything was pretty even before that,” Swiatek said. “I felt like I had more control of the ball and could continue to attack. I’m really happy that we won this game with just singles. It gave us confidence going into the quarterfinals.”
Poland take on local favorites Australia in Sydney on Friday night in what promises to be an exciting game. Hulkac’s side are seeking a first Confederations Cup win after back-to-back runners-up finishes.
