Preview United Cup 2026 Semifinals: Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek headline blockbuster USA vs Poland

The United Cup has reached the semi-final stage, set to be played this Saturday, 10 January, in Sydney, with the two finalists to be decided. Defending champions USA, led by Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz, have once again managed to place themselves among the final four and will face a repeat of the 2025 final against Poland, represented by Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz.

It is an intriguing semi-final featuring the same protagonists who battled for the title a year ago. The Poles overcame Australia with a victory in mixed doubles, the same scenario faced by the Americans, who also had to go all the way to the mixed doubles to secure their win against Greece. While their female singles players — Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek — have enjoyed perfect campaigns, the men’s singles have been less consistent for both teams.

Two of the Tour’s best servers when fully fit, the American and the Pole have met six times previously, with Fritz holding a 4–2 lead in the head-to-head (3–1 on hard courts). This will be their third United Cup meeting, following clashes in the 2023 semi-finals and the 2025 final, both won by Fritz in tight encounters.

At the start of the tournament, Fritz appeared close to withdrawing due to physical issues, but he managed to remain in competition. So far, however, he holds a 1–2 singles record, compared to Hurkacz’s 2–1. Both players were beaten in their respective singles matches in the quarter-finals, meaning their tie was decided in the mixed doubles.

Hurkacz has shown strong focus despite this being his first tournament in several months, and his loss to Alex de Minaur was decided by fine margins. This shapes up as a very open contest, likely to depend on who can maintain concentration for longer — and whether Fritz can hold up physically after a demanding week.

In just a few years, this matchup has become one of the great rivalries on the WTA Tour. They have faced each other 15 times, with Swiatek leading 11–4, although Gauff has found solutions more recently. The American has won their last three consecutive meetings, including the 2025 United Cup final, where her victory sealed the title for Team USA.

Both players arrive with a 3–0 record at this year’s tournament — mirroring 2025, when they each reached the final on the back of four straight wins. As with the men’s match, it is difficult to name a clear favourite. However, Gauff does hold a key psychological edge: the 2025 final, plus wins in their last two hard-court meetings, both in straight sets.

The last time Swiatek defeated Gauff on hard courts was at the 2023 WTA Finals, making this another major opportunity for the American to further close the gap in their head-to-head rivalry.

A potential mixed doubles decider would feature Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison, who recently saved the tie against Greece in a third-set super tie-break (4–6, 6–4, [10–8]). They would face Polish specialists Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski, who secured the decisive point against Australia in the quarter-finals with a dominant 6–4, 6–0 win.

The Americans boast greater doubles experience, with Harrison currently ranked World No. 15 and Gauff a former World No. 1 in doubles. On the Polish side, Zielinski has enjoyed strong seasons in the discipline, reaching a career-high No. 7, while Kawa is the least experienced, currently ranked No. 509 in doubles, with a career-best of No. 64. That said, rankings rarely tell the full story, and both pairs have looked well-coordinated throughout the week. If the tie comes down to mixed doubles, it could truly be a lottery.