Preview United Cup Final: Swiatek vs Bencic and Wawrinka vs Hurkacz defined the new champion

Everything is set for the final of the fourth edition of the United Cup, as the tournament looks for a new champion following the semi-final elimination of defending champions USA. This time, it will be an all-European final, with Poland seeking revenge after falling short in the 2024 and 2025 finals, led once again by Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz.

Standing in their way is one of the surprises of the tournament: Switzerland, led by an outstanding Belinda Bencic, who has delivered a perfect performance across eight matches (four singles and four mixed doubles). Added to that is the presence of three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, serving both as singles player and team captain, as well as the valuable contribution of Jakub Paul in mixed doubles alongside Bencic. Together, they have guided Switzerland to a historic first final, after defeating Belgium in mixed doubles.

Unlike previous years — when Poland consistently started among the top two or three seeds based on rankings — this time they entered the competition seeded ninth, due to the combined ranking of Swiatek (No. 2) and Hurkacz (No. 75). The injury that sidelined Hurkacz for much of 2025 caused a significant drop in his ranking, but at the start of 2026 he appears to be rapidly finding his form again, proving crucial to Poland’s campaign.

After cruising through the group stage with a perfect 6–0 record, Poland faced tougher challenges in the knockout rounds. Against Austria, Swiatek secured the singles win, while Hurkacz was beaten by Alex de Minaur. Nevertheless, the doubles pairing of Kawa and Zielinski delivered a strong performance to book a place in the semi-finals.

There, Poland reunited with USA, their rivals in the 2024 and 2025 finals, and this time managed to exact revenge. Hurkacz defeated Taylor Fritz, while Swiatek was unable to overcome Coco Gauff, sending the tie once again to mixed doubles. In two tightly contested sets, Kawa and Zielinski claimed their fourth consecutive victory of the tournament, sealing Poland’s place in their third straight United Cup final.

Switzerland’s campaign has undoubtedly been driven in large part by the excellent form of Belinda Bencic — currently world No. 11 — who has won all four of her singles matches, as well as all four mixed doubles matches alongside Jakub Paul, establishing herself as the undisputed standout player of the tournament so far. The former Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist is also just one singles victory away from securing her return to the top 10 for the first time since April 2023, before she paused her career due to pregnancy.

The presence of Stan Wawrinka has added a special dimension to Switzerland’s run, particularly as 2026 marks the final year of his professional career for the three-time Grand Slam champion, who is also captaining the team on this occasion. Although he has won just one of his four singles matches, he has remained highly competitive, pushing opponents such as Flavio Cobolli and Zizou Bergs to the limit before eventually being defeated. Stan the Man has shown his trademark fighting spirit, and his chances of springing a surprise in the final cannot be ruled out, as he looks to start the final chapter of his career with another title.

Two players arriving with confidence in the tournament, although Swiatek comes into the final after a painful defeat to Coco Gauff — a loss that ultimately gave Poland the tie, but also complicated their path. It was an emotionally difficult defeat for the six-time major champion, especially considering she held an 11–1 head-to-head advantage over Gauff a year ago. However, Gauff has since turned the rivalry around, winning their last four meetings in a row, all in straight sets.

That result may ultimately prove anecdotal if Swiatek manages to regroup for the final against Bencic. The Pole has defeated the Swiss player in five of their six meetings, with her only loss coming at the US Open 2021. Bencic will be well aware of her recent defeats to Swiatek in 2025, particularly the Wimbledon semi-final (6–2, 6–0) — her best-ever run at a major, but one that ended painfully with just two games won.

They last faced each other in Wuhan two months ago, where Swiatek needed more than two hours to secure a straight-sets victory. For Bencic, given the setting and the circumstances, this could be a particularly favourable opportunity to finally take revenge on Swiatek.

An inspired Hubert Hurkacz has been one of the standout performers of this United Cup, especially after spending seven months sidelined. On his return, he has posted three wins from four matches, including victories over top-10 opponents Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz, with his only loss coming in a tight three-set battle against Alex de Minaur.

The former world No. 6 is building momentum heading into a comeback season in which he needs to regain ranking positions. His strong performances in Australia so far have already allowed him to climb 27 places to No. 56. A victory over Stan Wawrinka in the final would see him rise to No. 45, an extremely positive outcome for just his first week back on tour.

The three-time major champion Wawrinka continues to show that he can still compete at the highest level and now faces another demanding test. In a final, nerves and mental composure will play a decisive role — beyond rankings alone — and that is where Wawrinka must focus. Matching Hurkacz’s serve rhythm and capitalising on the few chances available will be crucial, particularly against a Pole who has fired 77 aces in just four matches.

If the final is decided in mixed doubles, both teams are expected to stick with the formula that has carried them throughout the tournament. The Swiss have found an outstanding partnership in Belinda Bencic and Jakub Paul, who even defeated three-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori — arguably the ultimate benchmark in the discipline.

Less well-known to the wider public, Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski have shown remarkable composure in decisive moments, delivering in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals. While in previous years Poland relied on Swiatek and Hurkacz doubling up in singles and doubles, this time they have established a specialist partnership that has recorded four consecutive wins, most notably against the USA pairing of former doubles world No. 1 Coco Gauff and former world No. 7 Christian Harrison. The Poles proved their ability to handle pressure, winning in two tight tie-break sets.