Poland beat Switzerland for debut United Cup title
Poland battle back to beat Switzerland 2-1 in the United Cup final in Sydney to win the mixed-gender tournament for the first time.
Poland battle back to beat Switzerland 2-1 in the United Cup final in Sydney to win the mixed-gender tournament for the first time.
Hubert Hurkacz defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to draw Poland level with Switzerland and send the United Cup final to a deciding mixed doubles in Sydney on Sunday night.
“Stan was [the] better player in the second set and I knew I was catching him towards the end. I was finding a better game and I knew I can raise my serve game and that gave me confidence,” Hurkacz said. “Also, from the baseline, I felt like I would get some chances and there would be some opportunities for me.”
Earlier, Belinda Bencic upset Iga Swiatek 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to improve to 5-0 in singles this tournament and 9-0 overall to give the Swiss an early lead. She is now scheduled to compete in mixed, chasing a fairytale 10-0 record to deliver Switzerland its first United Cup title
Hurkacz dropped 18 aces on the courageous Wawrinka and saved eight of the nine break points he faced, highlighting the lone chink in the 40-year-old’s armour this week. Although he claimed a critical break en route to winning the second set, the three-time Grand Slam champion converted just two of 23 break point opportunities across his five singles matches during the event.
“He’s definitely an inspiration. I was growing up watching him play, compete and win so much,” Hurkacz said. “Obviously his game style is really powerful. The shots that he can pull off sometimes, you can really admire them even when you are on the other side of the net.
“It’s a bit annoying sometimes when they come up with [those shots]. Good times for him, bad times for me, but it’s a pleasure to compete against him.”
Hurkacz won four of his five singles matches this week, capping a triumphant return from a seven-month injury layoff after knee surgery.
The 28-year-old former World No. 6 is looking for United Cup redemption after two heartbreaking near misses in the past two United Cup finals. In 2024 he held two championship points before falling to Alexander Zverev. Last year Taylor Fritz denied him in a third-set tie-break.
Belinda Bencic’s undefeated run continues. With a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 comeback win over Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the Swiss No. 1 put her country one win from their first United Cup title. She’s now 9-0 at the tournament, with five wins in singles.
“It’s always a challenge playing against her and every time I play her, I look for ways to improve and make her life a bit more difficult,” Bencic said on court. “I think the difference today was I played very freely, I was really enjoying myself out on the court and I was just really going for it.”
Bencic won 12 of the final 15 games, earning her second victory over the World No. 2. The first set seemed the tie’s first match was going to belong to Swiatek, but the pendulum quickly shifted the momentum into Bencic’s favor.
Swiatek started strong early, holding serve in the opening game with four straight points followed by the match’s first break and another hold. With Swiatek up 3-0, Bencic settled into the match, winning two consecutive games of her own, cutting the deficit to 3-2 after a backhand winner on the third break point.
The World No. 2 eventually closed out the set, winning three of the next four games, including two breaks of Bencic’s serve. Winning the set 6-3, Swiatek hit a crosscourt backhand winner that the Swiss could not reach.
The second set, however, would feature Bencic domination. Bencic started the second set winning nine consecutive points, and in the third game, she saved two break points. The following game, she’d earn the crucial break on the third chance and finished the set in 33 minutes.
“To be honest, I felt I was in the match from the very first point,” Bencic said. “I thought I was going great and I was 0-3 down. I was ‘OK, what do I have to do.’ I think I just tried to keep the level and just wait for some chances.”
After three consecutive games with service holds to begin the third, Bencic notched the turning point. With a powerful forehand to set up break point, she took advantage of the crucial point, returning Swiatek’s serve with a convincing backhand winner. Swiatek fought to the last point, holding two games of serve and saving two match points with a pair of aces. But as Swiatek — who had an uncharacteristic 36 unforced errors her opponent’s 10 — trailed 5-3, Bencic earned triple match point, and her backhand winner into the open court sealed the deal.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Daniil Medvedev made a statement start to the new season on Sunday at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ, where he defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 7-6(1) to win the title at the ATP 250 event.
The 29-year-old fell just short in the Brisbane final in 2019, but ensured there would be no repeat heartbreak on Australia’s east coast, where he secured his 22nd tour-level crown with an impressive display against Nakashima. The victory also preserved a rare distinction in Medvedev’s career, with all 22 of his titles coming at different events.
The championship match showcased punishing baseline exchanges, with Medvedev forced to dig deep late in the second set. After letting slip two championship points on serve at 5-4, the former World No. 1 quickly regrouped, dominating the tie-break to seal victory after one hour and 34 minutes.
“I want to dedicate this to my family,” Medvedev said during the trophy ceremony. “They couldn’t make it to Australia, it is a bit too far guys, about 23 hours from where I live and with two young kids it is not easy. I decided to play this tournament and we thought we would be coming all together but we stuck to the decision and my daughter had a birthday when I was here, so I dedicate it to her first birthday. This [trophy] is a bit too heavy for her though.”
Medvedev’s Brisbane triumph continues an upward trajectory that began in October, when he snapped a two-and-a-half-year title drought in Almaty, working alongside new coaches Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetzke. He carried that momentum into the opening week of the new season, becoming the first top seed to lift the Brisbane trophy since Roger Federer in 2015.
[NO 1 CLUB]Nakashima was chasing his second tour-level trophy, having won on home soil in San Diego in 2022. The former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion leaves Brisbane at No. 31 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
Nakashima did not drop a set en route to his fourth tour-level final but was unable to outmanoeuvre Medvedev, who now leads the American 3-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Did You Know?
Medvedev is the third active player to win 20 tour-level hard-court trophies, joining Novak Djokovic (72) and Jannik Sinner (21).
Alexander Bublik captured his ninth ATP Tour title and fifth since June on Sunday at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open where he overcame Lorenzo Musetti.
The second seed soaked up Musetti’s variety and used his big baseline game to inflict his own damage on the Italian, earning a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory. Bublik will make his Top 10 debut in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday following his title run, becoming the first Kazakhstani man to crack the Top 10.
“The only goal for this season was to achieve the Top 10 and in the first week I have won the title and I am into the Top 10,” Bublik said. “If you had told me that last April I would never have believed you. But it is a pleasure and I hope to continue in the same way.”
Bublik enjoyed a standout second half of last season, lifting trophies in Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbuhel and Hangzhou. In his first event of the new year, the 28-year-old continued from where he left off, dropping just one set at the ATP 250 in Hong Kong.
Musetti was aiming to capture his first title since he won in Naples in 2022. However, the 23-year-old suffered more final heartbreak and is now 2-7 in tour-level finals, having lost his past seven finals. In contrast, Bublik holds a 9-7 record in title matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
[NO 1 CLUB]Despite his defeat, Musetti will climb into the Top 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday. He is the third Italian to achieve the feat, joining Jannik Sinner and Adriano Panatta.
In a tense first set, Bublik came up with a moment of magic at 2/2 in the tie-break when he fired a backhand winner to lead. He reeled off the next four points to claim the opening set and then recovered from squandering a break advantage in the second set to improve to 3-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Musetti.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]World number one Aryna Sabalenka prepares for the Australian Open with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Marta Kostyuk to win a third Brisbane International title.
Did 12 months away from the ATP Tour give Thanasi Kokkinakis the time he needed to discover his musical side? Well, sort of.
“It’s funny. I bought some DJ decks pretty early and played those for a month or two,” Kokkinakis told ATPTour.com this week in Adelaide, where he is continuing his comeback after recovering from surgery on his pectoral muscle. “Then I forgot about that and got addicted to PlayStation, which I used to play.
“I played a lot of NBA2K. I get pretty competitive there. I get online, get on the headset, and when people talk some rubbish to me, I give a bit back! So that was one way of me trying to be competitive.”
From Ugo Humbert’s dabbling on the piano to Yannick Noah’s pop career and Jannik Sinner’s collaboration with renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli, there is plenty of crossover history between the ATP Tour and the world of music. For his part, Kokkinakis does not think he will be making a similar move anytime soon.
“I’m a long way off [releasing a track], that’s probably post-career, I think!,” joked the 29-year-old. “I learned the basic fundamentals, but then taking a step up, I didn’t quite have the focus for it. We’ll see. It’s harder than I thought.”
On Monday, Kokkinakis will step on court at his hometown tournament, the Adelaide International, to compete in a tour-level singles match for the first time since his January 2025 Australian Open exit to Jack Draper. His first-round clash with Sebastian Korda will be a milestone moment for a player who has endured a testing 12 months.
[ATP APP]Last February, Kokkinakis underwent a radical surgery — rarely if ever carried out on a tennis player — after years of managing damaged tissue in his right pectoral muscle. As the ATP Tour moved on from Australia and carried on around the globe for the rest of the 2025 season, Kokkinakis stayed in Melbourne to embark on a rehab programme that did not guarantee any positive results.
“It’s definitely tricky. You get itchy feet a little bit, being in the same place,” said the former No. 65 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who won his only tour-level title so far in Adelaide in 2022. “Obviously it’s different being home [in Adelaide], which is okay, but if you’re in another place for longer, when you’re used to only being there for one or max two weeks when you’re on Tour, [it’s hard].
“I tried to stay busy with a lot of things. I did some commentary, a lot of sponsor stuff, so I was trying to stay active and stay busy. And then also my rehab and trying to get that right. That’s a full-time job as much as anything, so I was just trying to get myself back to a point where I could even be in the draw for this tournament and give myself a chance.”
While being unable to compete was naturally frustrating, Kokkinakis did not completely disengage with the goings-on in tennis across 2025.
“[I watched tennis] here and there. I wasn’t shying away from it, but I wasn’t following it closely all the time,” he said. “I was following basketball a lot. I love my NBA, but if the tennis was on, and it was a match I was interested in, I would watch. But I wasn’t watching everything that was going on.
“[I spoke to friends on Tour] a little bit. Mainly the Aussies, if they had a good result or something like that, I’d send them a message. Draper actually reached out as well, and obviously he’s going through a little bit of a tricky period now as well. So he was nice… But I wasn’t messaging people all the time. It was mainly the Aussies.”
[NO 1 CLUB]Kokkinakis is cautiously optimistic as he prepares for his comeback match against Korda, whom he was supposed to meet in the Adelaide quarter-finals a year ago before he withdrew due to his injury. Yet he is also realistic about the risk he chose with his surgery, in which he was given an Achille allograft to try to attach his pectoral muscle to his shoulder.
“Just being back and getting to this point is not even something I was sure of,” said Kokkinakis, who made his competitive return in doubles last week at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ, alongside Nick Kyrgios. “Now I don’t know if I can get through a match, or get through a couple of matches, I really don’t know, because I haven’t played. I’ve done everything training-wise to give myself a chance to be here and that in itself is a win.
“Being able to go out on court knowing I’ve done a bunch of work and now I’m just praying my shoulder is alright, that definitely makes it worth it. Then the next step is going to be how I back up and where I go from here. But [it is good] just being here and even just playing some practice sets, seeing some crowds and hearing cheering, and just being back feeling those nerves and that buzz. Seeing some cameras again on me while I’m actually playing tennis is definitely an adjustment.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler have quickly picked up where they left off in 2025.
The Portuguese-Austrian duo on Sunday downed top seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 at the Brisbane International presented by ANZ to claim their second consecutive ATP Tour crown. Cabral and Miedler, who finished last season by lifting an ATP 250 trophy in Athens, secured the title with an 84-minute victory in Queensland.
“I think after the preseason we just kept doing what we did before,” said Miedler. “We had a great run before the break as well, and obviously we worked well in the offseason. The first tournament is never easy, but we just tried to focus on our strengths and it got better from match to match. I think today was a really great level from all four guys and we are just happy to have the win here.”
Starting the new season with a bang 🏆
Lucas Miedler and Francisco Cabral defeat No. 1 seeds Cash/Glasspool 6-3, 3-6, [10-8] to win their first @BrisbaneTennis doubles title.#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/Tv6GRsys78
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 11, 2026
Third seeds Cabral and Miedler converted both break points they earned according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to victory against the 2025 Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF-winning duo of Cash and Glasspool. It was their fourth ATP 250 title together since they first debuted as a team last April in Marrakech.
“Of course we want to keep working, keep winning matches and keep playing better at the bigger tournaments,” said Cabral. “It’s going to be our first year playing all the Masters 1000s and having a little bit higher expectations at the Grand Slams, so we hope to perform there and hopefully at the end of the year we will try to be in Turin for the first time.”
Musetti/Sonego triumph in Hong Kong
Lorenzo Musetti bounced back from singles final disappointment on Sunday at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, where he teamed with fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego to down Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-4, 2-6, 10-1.
Musetti lost to Alexander Bublik in singles but returned to court an hour later and left with a smile on his face following an entertaining doubles final at the ATP 250. Musetti and Sonego found their best level in the Match Tie-break to earn the crown. The triumph marked Musetti’s first doubles ATP Tour title, while Sonego is now a three-time champion.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]The hard-court action continues either side of the Tasman Sea this week, when Adelaide and Auckland are the host cities for an ATP 250 doubleheader.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is the top seed at the Adelaide International, where Tommy Paul, Stefanos Tsitsipas and hometown favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis also compete. In Auckland, Ben Shelton and Casper Ruud headline the draw at the ASB Classic.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at each event.
[NO 1 CLUB] FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ADELAIDE
1) Can Foki thrive as a top seed?: Currently at a career-high No. 14 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Davidovich Fokina will compete as the top seed at an ATP Tour event for the first time in Adelaide. The 26-year-old Spaniard will look to bounce back from his opening-round exit in Brisbane when he takes on Tristan Schoolkate or Rinky Hijikata in his Adelaide opener.
2) Tsitsipas aims to stay perfect: The Greek former World No. 3 Tsitsipas was in a positive mood last week in Perth, where he went 3-0 in singles across Greece’s United Cup campaign. Prior to Perth, the 12-time ATP Tour champion had not played a tour-level match since September due to a back injury, but he will step on court full of confidence for his Adelaide opener against a qualifier.
3) Paul chases first win of the year: Like Tsitsipas, Tommy Paul ended his 2025 season early due to injury. The American did not play after the US Open after rupturing a tendon in his left foot, but returned to action last week in Brisbane, where he fell to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a deciding-set tie-break. A two-time semi-finalist in Adelaide, this year’s second seed will play Reilly Opelka or home hope Alexei Popyrin first.
4) Kokkinakis’ comeback: Hometown favourite Kokkinakis will play his first singles match in 12 months when he steps on court to face Sebastian Korda in Adelaide. The 29-year-old had an unprecedented operation on his pec after he competed at the 2025 Australian Open. Having played doubles last week in Brisbane with Nick Kyrgios, Kokkinakis makes his singles return at the venue where he lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy in 2022.
5) Cash/Glasspool lead doubles field: The team that won Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours in 2025 has picked up where it left off this season. Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool reached the final in Brisbane to start their season, and the British duo will now head to Adelaide to compete as the top seeds. Their rivals in the draw include Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
[ATP APP] FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN AUCKLAND
1) Shelton seeks fast start: As he has done for the three previous seasons, Shelton begins his season in Auckland. The 23-year-old American, who is currently No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will be playing his first tour-level event since making his Nitto ATP Finals debut in November. Shelton’s first opponent in New Zealand will be Francisco Comesana or Valentin Royer.
2) Ruud, Mensik compete: Ruud started his year with a statement victory against Top 10 star Alex de Minaur at the United Cup in Sydney, and the Norwegian will hope to reproduce that form as the second seed in Auckland. However, his rivals in the draw include third seed Jakub Mensik, who prevailed in straight sets when the pair faced off in Sydney.
3) Monfils begins his final season: The 39-year-old Gael Monfils has announced 2026 will be his last year as a pro tennis player, and the Frenchman will be keen to showcase his world-class talent whenever possible across the season. That mission begins in Auckland, where he lifted his 13th ATP Tour crown a year ago. Alejandro Tabilo and Roberto Bautista Agut are the other former champions in the draw.
4) Norrie’s home comforts: British star Cameron Norrie grew up in Auckland and returns to the ASB Classic hoping this will be the year he can get over the line to claim the title. Norrie reached the championship match in 2019 (l. to Sandgren) and 2023 (l. to Gasquet). The fifth seed opens his 2026 title bid against qualifier Hugo Gaston.
5) Bhambri/Goransson top seeds: Yuki Bhambri and Andre Goransson headline the doubles draw in Auckland. Their rivals in the draw include Brisbane champions Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler, and five-time ATP Tour champion duo Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Alexander Bublik stands on the brink a career milestone. Should the 28-year-old win the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open on Sunday, Bublik will make his Top 10 debut in the PIF ATP Rankings.
The unpredictable and entertaining Bublik has been one of the most in-form players since May of last season. Last March, Bublik was as low as No. 82 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but a dramatic turnaround followed. Bublik reached his first major quarter-final at Roland Garros and triumphed in Halle, Gstaad, Kitzbühel and Hangzhou.
“I always say that wins don’t make me go through the roof and losses don’t put me to the ground,” Bublik said after winning his eighth career title in Hangzhou last September. “I try to stay stable. I enjoy what I do. I’m happy that I’m able to travel, play tournaments and stay healthy, and the wins are coming… That’s beautiful.”
Holding 2,980 points in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Bublik trails No. 10 Jack Draper by 10 points. If Bublik wins the Hong Kong championship match, he will add another 85 points to leapfrog the Briton.
Aiming to become the first Kazakhstani man to crack the Top 10, Bublik has long been fuelled by a style that is as captivating as it is unconventional. He can hammer a serve and then follow it with a feathered drop shot. He can appear almost unserious, only to lock in when it matters most.
Bublik is undoubtedly one of the Tour’s most entertaining figures — and he is equally as dangerous. Last year in Halle, Bublik stunned then-World No. 1 Jannik Sinner just two weeks after the Italian beat him at Roland Garros.
With it being the opening week of the 2026 season, Bublik would become the first player this year to make his Top 10 debut. Last season, four players cracked the Top 10 for the first time: Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti, Tommy Paul, and Ben Shelton.
Fittingly, Musetti will stand across the net from Bublik in Sunday’s final at the ATP 250 in Hong Kong. The Italian has already earned a milestone of his own this week, sealing his Top 5 debut. Musetti, 23, will be the third Italian in PIF ATP Rankings history to crack the Top 5, joining former No. 4 Adriano Panatta (1976) and Jannik Sinner (2024), who is World No. 2. This will mark the first time that two Italian men are in the Top 5 of the PIF ATP Rankings at the same time.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]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.
Proceedings at Ken Rosewall Arena begin at 5:30 p.m. with Bencic meeting Swiatek, before Wawrinka takes on Hurkacz. The Pole won their lone Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter, which came at the United Cup in 2023.
A message from your Finalists 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AzXPYLBove
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 10, 2026
Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, holds a 5-1 advantage in her head-to-head with Bencic, though the Swiss has been in inspired form throughout the competition in both Sydney and Perth. 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. “I don’t know what to say. It’s just amazing.”
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. Obviously it’s his last year on Tour. It’s really inspiring to watch him play, watch him compete. It’s going to be a fun challenge. Lots of positive emotions. So happy we’re in the finals again.”
After a seven-month injury layoff that required knee surgery, Hurkacz has looked sharp in Sydney. The former No. 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.
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.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]