Iga Świątek left the court with tears in her eyes. The Pole gave her all

Let us remind you that from Sunday morning (i.e. January 5), Poland is competing with the USA for victory in the United Cup 2025. Iga Świątek faced Coco Gauff at the opening of the competition. It ended up being a very even match, but the Pole lost 4:6, 4:6.

Iga Świątek lost to Coco Gauff. A difficult start to the final for the Polish team

Świątek certainly cannot be denied an ambitious fight from the first to almost the last ball of the match. Both women last had the opportunity to meet during the WTA Finals in Riyadh. At that time, Świątek, who was returning to the court, was just starting to rebuild her form, in the context of 2025. However, it is clear, looking at the American’s victory in Sydney – already during the United Cup final – that she had found a way to defeat the Pole.

However, the match was very even and only a few balls decided Gauff’s final victory. You only need to look at some of the actions that are already hits on social media to understand how much fighting there was on both sides.

Another medical break requested by Świątek, just before the crucial tenth game of the second set, was certainly disturbing. The Pole appeared on the court again with a bandaged thigh. In the context of the upcoming Grand Slam Australian Open, this is not good news. It is certain that Świątek gave her all during the United Cup 2025. The tears on the Polish woman’s face after the meeting were extremely eloquent and full of emotions.

Ultimately, after returning to the court, Świątek lost her service game, and the American, just like in the first game, triumphed 6:4. The USA is therefore in the lead. In the second match of the United Cup 2025 final, Taylor Fritz will face Hubert Hurkacz. The American will be the favorite, but the tennis player from Wrocław has already proven many times that he can play great tennis. Only Hurkacz’s win extends Poland’s chances of triumph in the final. There will still be a traditional mixed doubles competition, closing the competition.

United Cup 2025. The Polish national team is among the world’s best

The Polish team finished the group games with complete victories. The national team won 2-1 in both cases, first against Norway and then against the Czech Republic. It was even more impressive in the quarterfinals, in which Poland defeated Great Britain 3-0. As it turned out, in the semi-final the Polish team also showed class, eliminating Kazakhstan.

Interestingly, apart from the final defeat, Iga Świątek had all the victories. The team leader won both singles and mixed doubles, first in a duo with Jan Zieliński (vs Norway), and then with Hubert Hurkacz (vs Czech Republic). In addition, the WTA ranking runner-up added a valuable triumph in the quarterfinals, after a very good match against the sensational Briton Katie Boulter. The last win was a semi-final battle with Yelena Rybakina. The defeat came only in the final, after losing to Gauff.

It is worth recalling that in the case of the history of the United Cup, Polish tennis is doing very well. Two finals have been played so far, and one of them – last year’s (2023/24) – featured the Polish national team. Ultimately, Świątek and Hurkacz lost to the German team, represented by Angelika Kerber (lost to Świątek), Alex Zwieriew (won to Hurkacz) and doubles Laura Siegemund / Alexander Zwieriew (defeated by Świątek/Hurkacz duo). In the premiere edition, the USA crushed Italy 4-0 in the final.

Additionally, Poland was the only team in the history of three editions of the United Cup to reach at least the semi-finals each time. Moreover, for the second time in a row, the Polish team competed in a direct game for the title.