They’re both established top players. They’re finding form at the right time. Plus, they’re good friends.
All these factors make Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz a dangerous combination when they represent Team Poland for the second straight year at the United Cup.
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In 2023, they went undefeated in mixed doubles and helped Poland advance to the semifinals, where they were ultimately stopped by the USA.
Twelve months on, they will return as the No.1 seeds and motivated to improve on that result, in a year they also plan to represent Poland in mixed doubles at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Judging by their form, ultimate United Cup success is not inconceivable.
Swiatek will carry an 11-match winning streak into RAC Arena in Perth, thanks to late-season victories at the prestigious China Open and WTA Finals.
Her performance at the WTA Finals in Cancun earlier this week was extraordinarily dominant. She beat five top-eight players in straight sets and allowed Jessica Pegula – who beat her at the 2023 United Cup – just one game in the most lopsided final in the tournament’s 51-year history.
After briefly relinquishing the top ranking to Aryna Sabalenka, those results helped reinstall Swiatek at world No.1 to end the season, a glittering one marked by six tournament titles, the defence of her Roland Garros crown and 68 match wins – including 13 over top-10 players.
She also ‘bagelled’ opponents – beat them 6-0 in a set – an astonishing 23 times, continuing her formidable trend of ruthlessly dominating players that began in 2022.
She’s now a four-time Grand Slam champion with an exceptional 17-4 record in finals.
Few people admire her achievements more than Hurkacz, who regularly congratulates Swiatek on social media as she accumulates trophies and milestones.
“Being able also to handle all the pressure and winning in such a way is really, really impressive,” he said of his Polish teammate.
Swiatek may be the greatest player Poland has ever produced, but Hurkacz is not far behind.
The 26-year-old has almost halved his ranking since August, rising from 20th to No.11 after winning 18 of his past 23 matches.
The highlight was saving a match point in the Shanghai final to win his second career ATP Masters 1000 trophy, after triumphing in Miami in 2021.
He was also a finalist in Basel, a semifinalist in Cincinnati and quarterfinalist at the Paris Masters, part of a late-season surge that saw him very nearly qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin.
Nevertheless, he is projected to return to the top 10 in next week’s rankings, at world No.9 – equalling his career-high ranking.
The respect between Hurkacz and Swiatek is mutual, with Swiatek also regularly congratulating her countrymen on social media for his achievements.
And she experienced just how valuable a teammate he is when they joined forces in United Cup mixed doubles in 2023.
“Having Hubi on my side, it's really helpful, and his game is so powerful that we can really put pressure on our opponents, and hopefully we will do that in future matches,” she said.
“His reach is so huge that basically he can get any volley. It's giving me a lot of confidence, as well.”
Team Poland opens its United Cup campaign on Saturday 30 December at 5pm in Perth.
