By Richard Pagliaro Friday, January 9, 2026
Image source: Manchester United Cup Facebook
The Polish team defeated Australia with a united front and entered the semi-finals of the United Cup for the fourth consecutive year.
Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kava chopped John Patrick Smith and the Storm Hunters, Poland beat Australia 2-1 6-4, 6-0 at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Stadium to reach the Fed Cup semi-finals for the fourth consecutive year.
“It was a very exciting match,” Zielinski said of the mixed doubles decider. “All four of us sat on the bench and watched for five or four hours. The emotions were running high before this game, and the responsibility and pressure was high.
“It’s a way for me to let off steam, get myself excited, get Katya excited, show that we have the fight, show that we have the ability to win this game and that although the circumstances are tough, we are ready to fight and face it.”
Next up, Poland will face defending champions the United States in a rematch of the 2024 Confederations Cup final. The winner of the semifinals between the United States and Poland will face Belgium or Switzerland in the Confederations Cup final.
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek is a powerful force sweeping Australia maya joint After 57 minutes of fierce competition, the Polish team led 1-0 in tonight’s opening game with a score of 6-1, 6-1.
Swiatek hit 72% of his serves and never dropped a joint serve with ruthless determination.
“I have a definite plan on what I want to do. I’m just focused on that,” Swiatek said. “The intention from the beginning was to increase intensity and put pressure on Maya, and it worked.
“Every ball is important. I don’t want to give any free points. I also felt the pitch was a little better than the first two games and took advantage of the opportunities I had.”
Alex de Minaur Demonstrated determination to resist resurgence Hubert Hekatz, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, tied the score and pushed the decisive mixed doubles match to a climax.
After De Minaur played two hours and 18 minutes of singles matches on the court, Captain Lleyton Hewitt Opting to start Smith alongside Hunter in the mixed doubles rather than push the Australian No. 1 in back-to-back matches.
“I think Alex has felt a bit of an adjustment over the past few days as well,” captain Hewitt said. “He trained a lot in the offseason to get ready for the five-set match.
“We think the best thing for him physically moving forward is not to raise his hand tonight at scrimmage. It’s difficult to make a decision so quickly, though.
“Also, if you’re in the second game, turn around right away and start playing. You just don’t want to risk getting hurt at some point, especially tonight with the amount of movement he had to do against a good player.”
A year ago, Coco Gauff defeated Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 in the Fed Cup semifinals, while Taylor Fritz defeated Hulkaz in a gripping third-set tiebreaker to lead the United States to the Fed Cup.
Swiatek said courage will be key in her rematch with Gauff in a matchup between two of the world’s top four players.
“I’ll prepare a plan for tomorrow. It’s a great game, no doubt, and I think it’s exciting for the fans,” Swiatek said. “But I will focus on my singles. Obviously we and Coco understand each other’s game very well.
“The key for me is to focus on myself, try to implement what I did during pre-season and be brave in my decisions. Yes, we will see.”
