Will it be a case of third time lucky for Team Poland when they contest the United Cup final in Sydney on Sunday? Led by Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek, the two-time runners-up face Team Switzerland with a new champion guaranteed. Switzerland's charge has been driven by Belinda Bencic, who has been flawless across both singles and mixed doubles, with playing captain Stan Wawrinka providing leadership and experience in what is the three-time major champion's final season on Tour. Unbeaten in four singles outings, the 28-year-old — mother to 21-month-old daughter Bella — has been the cornerstone of her team, while Swiatek will be eager to respond after her straight-sets semi-final defeat to Coco Gauff. “Stan pushes me through in my singles, then he tries to push himself through in his singles, then he pushes us over the line in the mixed,” Bencic said of playing captain Wawrinka. Wawrinka faces a daunting task against the powerful-serving Hurkacz, particularly on return. The 40-year-old has broken serve just once across his four matches and has leaned on a more defensive game plan, yielding a single win. Hurkacz, by contrast, has unleashed 77 aces en route to the final. “It's going to be a fun match against Stan,” Hurkacz said. “He's shown some amazing tennis throughout this tournament. So happy we're in the finals again.” After a seven-month injury layoff that required knee surgery, Hurkacz has looked sharp in Sydney. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has already notched victories over Top 10 opponents Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz, who edged him in a final-set tie-break to secure last year's United Cup title. You May Also Like: Why Stan Wawrinka's last dance will be more salsa than slow waltz With both teams evenly matched, the final could hinge on mixed doubles. Switzerland's Bencic and Jakub Paul are unbeaten in four matches, while Poland's Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski boast an identical record. Wawrinka faces a daunting task against the powerful-serving Hurkacz, particularly on return. The 40-year-old has broken serve just once across his four matches and has leaned on a more defensive game plan, yielding a single win. Hurkacz, by contrast, has unleashed 77 aces en route to the final. “It's going to be a fun match against Stan,” Hurkacz said. “He's shown some amazing tennis throughout this tournament. After a seven-month injury layoff that required knee surgery, Hurkacz has looked sharp in Sydney. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has already notched victories over Top 10 opponents Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz, who edged him in a final-set tie-break to secure last year's United Cup title. You May Also Like: Why Stan Wawrinka's last dance will be more salsa than slow waltz With both teams evenly matched, the final could hinge on mixed doubles. Switzerland's Bencic and Jakub Paul are unbeaten in four matches, while Poland's Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski boast an identical record. Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc..

Coco Gauff continued her recent mastery of Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the United Cup on Saturday night, scoring her fourth straight win over the Pole with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at the team event.And not only has she beaten her four straight times now, she's beaten her four straight times in straight sets—the first player ever to do that.Only one other player has beaten Swiatek four times in a row at all—that would be Jelena Ostapenko, who's 6-0 lifetime against her. The third, fourth and sixth of those meetings were three-setters, though. And not only has she beaten her four straight times now, she's beaten her four straight times in straight sets—the first player ever to do that.Only one other player has beaten Swiatek four times in a row at all—that would be Jelena Ostapenko, who's 6-0 lifetime against her. Only one other player has beaten Swiatek four times in a row at all—that would be Jelena Ostapenko, who's 6-0 lifetime against her. Coco Gauff keeps Team USA's hopes alive after earning her FOURTH consecutive win over Iga Swiatek 🤯 United States vs. Poland will be decided in the mixed doubles 🔥 #UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/lFUbuHJ3lu But I knew how I was playing the whole match that I would get it done.”That victory also kept Team USA in contention in the semifinal clash, after Hubert Hurkacz's earlier 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2) victory over Taylor Fritz.It all came down to the mixed doubles, with Gauff coming back on court with Christian Harrison to face Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa. But I knew how I was playing the whole match that I would get it done.”That victory also kept Team USA in contention in the semifinal clash, after Hubert Hurkacz's earlier 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2) victory over Taylor Fritz.It all came down to the mixed doubles, with Gauff coming back on court with Christian Harrison to face Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa. But I knew how I was playing the whole match that I would get it done.”That victory also kept Team USA in contention in the semifinal clash, after Hubert Hurkacz's earlier 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2) victory over Taylor Fritz.It all came down to the mixed doubles, with Gauff coming back on court with Christian Harrison to face Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa. But I knew how I was playing the whole match that I would get it done.”That victory also kept Team USA in contention in the semifinal clash, after Hubert Hurkacz's earlier 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2) victory over Taylor Fritz.It all came down to the mixed doubles, with Gauff coming back on court with Christian Harrison to face Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa. But I knew how I was playing the whole match that I would get it done.”That victory also kept Team USA in contention in the semifinal clash, after Hubert Hurkacz's earlier 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2) victory over Taylor Fritz.It all came down to the mixed doubles, with Gauff coming back on court with Christian Harrison to face Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa. That victory also kept Team USA in contention in the semifinal clash, after Hubert Hurkacz's earlier 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2) victory over Taylor Fritz.It all came down to the mixed doubles, with Gauff coming back on court with Christian Harrison to face Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa.

Despite Iga Swiatek's defeat to Coco Gauff, Hubert Hurkacz's win in men's singles as well Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski's heroics in mixed doubles sent the Polish through. Poland, which got wins from Hubert Hurkacz in singles as well as Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski in mixed doubles, will face first-time finalist Switzerland. 2 Iga Swiatek, who fell to Coco Gauff 4-6, 2-6, will have a chance to redeem herself against Belinda Bencic, while Hurkacz encounters Stan Wawrinka. Kawa and Zielinski were the heroes, knocking off the previously unbeaten American duo of Gauff and Christian Harrison. Kawa and Zielinski won their second straight deciding mixed doubles following a win over Australia in the quarterfinals Friday. In the loss to Poland, Gauff earned her fourth straight victory over her rival Swiatek in their 16th overall meeting on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. That streak includes a 6-4, 6-4 win in last year's United Cup, as well as wins at Madrid and the 2024 WTA Finals. "I thought it was a great match for me. I was hoping to get through in the mixed but overall there's a lot of positives to take from today." The two rivals traded a few holds initially as Gauff, who served first, took a 2-1 lead before notching the match's first strike. She broke Swiatek and backed it up with a hold, amassing to a 4-1 advantage, but the Pole swiftly found herself back in the set. Swiatek won 12 consecutive points to win three straight games and level the set at 4-4. 1 needed just one set point to close it out. That momentum carried its way into the second, where Gauff bolted out to a 5-0 lead -- Swiatek saved three match points to prevent the second set bagel to get two games back. In the second and fourth games, Gauff needed three and four break point chances, respectively, to secure the game as each went into a long deuce. In the fourth, Swiatek even had multiple game points of her own, but the final two points saw Swiatek's shots go long and wide, a common occurrence Saturday evening. "She's also growing in age, more experienced as well. It wasn't the same Swiatek that defeated Maya Joint 6-1, 6-1 a day prior, but she'll have a chance to get her 16th overall singles win at the tournament against Bencic. "Obviously playing Taylor is such a big challenge and it's a very difficult match, especially this court, it's quite fast. Also, his forehand is really big, so if you leave anything short, he's going to come after it," Hurkacz told ATP No. Hurkacz has now beaten Alexander Zverev, Tallon Griekspoor and Fritz in Sydney, claiming all three of those victories in straight sets. Hurkacz saved the two break points he faced against Fritz, which doubled as set points at 4-5 in the opening set, to earn the lead for his country in one hour and 35 minutes. "Coming back from such a long period the first time in my life, you never know what to expect," Hurkacz said. "I was putting so much work outside of the court so, I give myself time to get back to my level, to an even better level and maybe a little bit less expectations coming into this week helped as well.” Fritz led Hurkacz 4-2 in their head-to-head series, including two previous wins at the United Cup. Despite Iga Swiatek's defeat to Coco Gauff, Hubert Hurkacz's win in men's singles as well Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski's heroics in mixed doubles sent the Polish through.

There she'll be joined by Elina Svitolina, who grinded out a first-set battle against Iva Jovic before running away with a straight-sets win in Saturday's second semifinal. It was a long Saturday night in Auckland, where the two semifinal matches stretched a combined 4 hours and 22 minutes and wrapped around 10:30 p.m. local time. The night opened with a three-set rollercoaster between No. Wang came from a set down, saved a match point in the second set and ultimately prevailed 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 in just under three hours. “She's an absolute fighter, and to be honest, I feel more pressure when I'm up 5-0 than when we were love-love. I'm just really happy that I got through this one today and through to my first ever final (here).” The match swung wildly as both players chased a spot in just their second WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz final. Wang raced ahead 4-0 and then 5-1 in the opening set, only for Eala to reel off six straight games to steal it. Wang again broke to start the second set and built a 2-0 lead. Down 3-2, Eala responded with three straight games for a 5-3 advantage. She held match point in that game, but a string of unforced errors opened the door for Wang, who swept the next four games to force a decider. Wang carried that momentum into the third set, winning the first four games for a commanding lead. Eala clawed back to trim the deficit to 5-4, but Wang closed out the match with one final hold, securing victory thanks to timely shot making and help in the form of more untimely errors off Eala's racket. Here are some numbers from Wang's semifinal win: Two more forehands sailed long later in the game, giving Wang a break point. Her lone previous final came on grass at the WTA 500 in Berlin last June, where she fell to Marketa Vondrousova in three sets. Outstanding battle 👏 #XinyuWang is into her first Auckland final after defeating Eala 5-7, 7-5, 6-4. 95: Points played after Eala held her match point. 3 Iva Jovic was equally chaotic, at least in the opening set. The second set proved more straightforward: Svitolina dropped the opening game, then won six of the last seven en route for a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory in 1 hour and 34 minutes to reach the ASB Classic final and set up a meeting with Wang. No stopping @ElinaSvitolina 😎Elina Svitolina defeats Jovic to secure her spot in the final 💥#ASBClassic26 pic.twitter.com/aiZ3fchSGu “We practiced together before the tournament, so I knew what to expect from her,” Svitolina said in her on-court interview. “Even then, she's really surprised me with the way she's striking the ball and moving really well. While many agree Jovic has a bright future, she has plenty of ground to make up before matching the résumé of the former WTA Finals champion. But first, here are some numbers pertaining to Svitolina's semifinal victory: 2: Second Auckland final for Svitolina, who last reached the final at the event in 2024, when she lost to Coco Gauff in three sets. Sunday's final will also be her second meeting with Wang; she won their previous matchup in straight sets in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2024, dropping just three games. 4: Svitolina entered the tournament on a four-match losing streak. With wins over Varvara Gracheva, Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal and Jovic, she has flipped that into a four-match winning streak and will look to extend it to five on Sunday. She owns 18 titles in her previous 22 finals, a winning percentage of nearly 82%. She had an even larger edge in second-serve points won (49% to 35%). There she'll be joined by Elina Svitolina, who grinded out a first-set battle against Iva Jovic before running away with a straight-sets win in Saturday's second semifinal.

Belinda Bencic kept her undefeated start to the season intact at the United Cup, delivering in both singles and mixed doubles to send Switzerland into its first final. Bencic outlasted Elise Mertens in singles and then teamed with Jakub Paul to clinch the mixed doubles against Belgium. Switzerland advanced to its first United Cup final after Belinda Bencic delivered a pivotal performance in challenging conditions Saturday in Sydney against Belgium. Bencic improved to 8-0 at the tournament, with four singles victories and four wins alongside Jakub Paul in mixed doubles. Bencic gave Switzerland the early lead by defeating Elise Mertens 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (0). She then teamed with Paul to clinch the tie in mixed doubles, holding off Mertens and Zizou Bergs 6-3, 0-6, [10-5] in their third deciding mixed-doubles match of the event. "He's so brave it's unbelievable,” Bencic said of Paul on court. "I tell him to go [for it] and he actually goes. It starts with him but then with all the energy from our bench it gives us such a spirit to win." Regardless, Bencic will have her first top 5 opponent, either against No. While Mertens had back-to-back tough tussles against Victoria Mboko and Barbora Krejcikova after a straight-sets win over Zhu Lin, Bencic hadn't come close to losing a set against Leolia Jeanjean, Jasmine Paolini and Solana Sierra to lead Switzerland to the final four. The Belgian denied her Swiss opponent two chances to knot the second set at 5-5 before breaking serve, claiming a set in which she previously saw a 3-1 lead erased. Switzerland captain Stan Wawrinka wears a "Belinda's World" T-shirt on the bench during Bencic's match vs. Elise Mertens. Wawrinka received the shirt in Perth following a team trip to Kings Park. That set the stage for a dramatic third set, in which Mertens came from 3-1 down, saved a pair of break points that would've given Bencic a 4-1 lead, and was two points away from the win with Bencic serving at 30-30, down 6-5. You're still in the same tournament, you play semifinal, but it feels like a first-round match again because it's a different site," Bencic said to reporters. It never happens normally in a normal tournament. I think it felt a little bit that way. I think I was just a little bit off maybe for the whole match with myself, with my thoughts. "I'm really happy also some days like this where you are maybe more anxious on the court or more nervous, I felt at one point I had to let all my emotions out." In men's singles, backing up his consecutive wins over World No. 18 Jakub Mensik, Bergs rallied from 40-0 on Stan Wawrinka's serve at 4-3 in the third set to take the decisive break. The match had featured just six break points to that stage. Wawrinka, the 40-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion in his 25th and final season, has played inspired tennis to kick off his farewell season, breaking serve just once across four matches has proved costly as he slipped to 1-3 in singles matches during the tournament. "It was hard to control the ball on return and he served very good; it was very hard for me. Belinda Bencic kept her undefeated start to the season intact at the United Cup, delivering in both singles and mixed doubles to send Switzerland into its first final. Bencic outlasted Elise Mertens in singles and then teamed with Jakub Paul to clinch the mixed doubles against Belgium.

Marta Kostyuk defeated Jessica Pegula in straight sets to reach the Brisbane International final against Aryna Sabalenka. 4 seed Jessica Pegula and setting up a championship matchup with World No. Kostyuk was sharp throughout, defeating Pegula -- ranked No. 6 on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz -- 6-0, 6-3 in just under an hour. Earlier Saturday, Sabalenka booked her place in the final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Karolina Muchova in the other semifinal. Saturday's victory marked Kostyuk's third consecutive win over a top-10 ranked opponent. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (7), 6-3 in the quarterfinals and No. It was only Kostyuk's second win in six career meetings with Pegula. The American entered the match with a 4-1 lead in their head-to-head series, winning both of their encounters in 2025. On Saturday, Sabalenka proved too strong, firing nine aces and saving all four break points she faced to advance to the final. On Saturday, Sabalenka proved too strong, firing nine aces and saving all four break points she faced to advance to the final. Sabalenka and Kostyuk have met four times previously, with Sabalenka winning all four matches in straight sets. Three of those encounters were played on clay, including two in 2025. Sabalenka is chasing her 22nd career singles title on Sunday, while Kostyuk will be aiming for her second (Austin 2023). Marta Kostyuk defeated Jessica Pegula in straight sets to reach the Brisbane International final against Aryna Sabalenka.

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka has advanced to the Brisbane International final for the third year in a row after a 6-3, 6-4 win Saturday over Karolina Muchová.Sabalenka clinched the semifinal at Pat Rafter Arena on her fourth match point to advance to Sunday's final against the winner of a later semifinal between fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula and Marta Kostyuk.Read More: Aryna Sabalenka passes Madison Keys test to book Brisbane semifinal spotOn Friday, in a rematch of last year's Australian Open final, Sabalenka broke Madison Keys' in five straight service games on the way to a 6-3, 6-3 win. Last year at Melbourne Park, Keys beat Sabalenka for her first Grand Slam singles title.The Brisbane International is a tuneup event for this year's Australian Open, which begins Jan. 18. Sabalenka clinched the semifinal at Pat Rafter Arena on her fourth match point to advance to Sunday's final against the winner of a later semifinal between fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula and Marta Kostyuk.Read More: Aryna Sabalenka passes Madison Keys test to book Brisbane semifinal spotOn Friday, in a rematch of last year's Australian Open final, Sabalenka broke Madison Keys' in five straight service games on the way to a 6-3, 6-3 win. Read More: Aryna Sabalenka passes Madison Keys test to book Brisbane semifinal spotOn Friday, in a rematch of last year's Australian Open final, Sabalenka broke Madison Keys' in five straight service games on the way to a 6-3, 6-3 win. The Brisbane International is a tuneup event for this year's Australian Open, which begins Jan. 18. Read More: Aryna Sabalenka's Australian Open outfit is a stylish nod to Serena Williams and SharapovaAlthough three match points slipped away amid a late flurry of pressure from the Czech player, Sabalenka sealed victory when a Muchová shot sailed long.“I always try to stay in the present,” Sabalenka said. She is such a great player and I always enjoy battles against her.”With 32 winners and all four break points saved, Sabalenka will look to carry that momentum into her 13th WTA 500-level final on Sunday.In the men's tournament at Brisbane, top-seeded Daniil Medvedev will play Alex Michelsen of the United States in a later semifinal. Two Americans feature in the other semi, with Aleksandar Kovacevic playing Brandon Nakashima. Although three match points slipped away amid a late flurry of pressure from the Czech player, Sabalenka sealed victory when a Muchová shot sailed long.“I always try to stay in the present,” Sabalenka said. She is such a great player and I always enjoy battles against her.”With 32 winners and all four break points saved, Sabalenka will look to carry that momentum into her 13th WTA 500-level final on Sunday.In the men's tournament at Brisbane, top-seeded Daniil Medvedev will play Alex Michelsen of the United States in a later semifinal. Two Americans feature in the other semi, with Aleksandar Kovacevic playing Brandon Nakashima. She is such a great player and I always enjoy battles against her.”With 32 winners and all four break points saved, Sabalenka will look to carry that momentum into her 13th WTA 500-level final on Sunday.In the men's tournament at Brisbane, top-seeded Daniil Medvedev will play Alex Michelsen of the United States in a later semifinal. Two Americans feature in the other semi, with Aleksandar Kovacevic playing Brandon Nakashima. With 32 winners and all four break points saved, Sabalenka will look to carry that momentum into her 13th WTA 500-level final on Sunday.In the men's tournament at Brisbane, top-seeded Daniil Medvedev will play Alex Michelsen of the United States in a later semifinal. Two Americans feature in the other semi, with Aleksandar Kovacevic playing Brandon Nakashima. Two Americans feature in the other semi, with Aleksandar Kovacevic playing Brandon Nakashima.