United Cup: Poland beat Switzerland and won the tournament to claim the first title

Poland won their first Fed Cup title with a win over Switzerland, although they had to fight from behind after losing in the singles in their opening match to world number two Iga Swiatek.

Former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic gave Switzerland the best possible start in Sydney by defeating Swiatek 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.

But Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz overcame a thrilling three-set encounter in men’s singles, equalizing the score with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka.

In the decisive mixed doubles match, the Polish duo Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski maintained their perfect record in the tournament, defeating Bencic and Jakub Paul 6-4, 6-3 to achieve a 2-1 victory.

Swiatek said about Poland’s victory after defeats to Germany and the United States in the 2024 and 2025 finals, “We finally succeeded. We are lucky for the third time. I mean, we are not lucky because we worked hard.”

“I want to thank our team because this year I felt like it was a team effort. I really felt supported. Even though my individual performance wasn’t perfect, you really lifted my spirits and each one of you kept believing until the end.”

It looked as if Poland might lose a third successive final when Bencic extended her Fed Cup singles record with a ninth win, beating Swiatek to give Switzerland the lead in their first final.

But Hurkacz got Poland back into the showdown, maintaining his good form after returning to competition after seven months out of injury, beating 40-year-old Warwinka in his final season on the Tour.

Kawa and Zielinski then proved too strong for Bencic and Paul, showing the form that helped them win the deciding rubber against American duo Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison in the semi-finals, as they claimed their fifth straight win of the tournament to clinch the title for Poland.