Poland reached its second straight final at the United Cup mixed team tennis tournament with a convincing 2-0 victory over Kazakhstan after Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek won their singles matches.
The Polish couple, who were runners-up last year after losing in the final to Germany, await an opponent for Sunday’s duel final that will face the United States and the Czech Republic in the second semifinal in Sydney.
World number two Swiatek closed out the tie with a fighting display against the powerful Elena Rybakina to win 7-6 (5) 6-4 at the Ken Rosewall Arena.
“I think it was the first time I was able to win against Elena on a faster surface,” said an exhausted Swiatek after the epic battle that lasted just over two hours.
“It means a lot. I didn’t start well, I felt like I was stepping on the handbrake a bit. I knew I had to do something because this game could go either way. I wanted to change the pace and I’m happy I did it the last possible time.
“I told myself that I won’t fail anymore and I’m happy because it’s always difficult against Elena.”
For his part, Hubi Hurkacz had earlier defeated Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-2 in less than an hour to help his team reach the final.
“The last game here gave me a little bit of confidence and I’ve been playing better every game,” said Hurkacz, who defeated Britain’s Billy Harris in the quarterfinals after a pair of losses in the group stage.
Source: La Verdad
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