Despite Poland's loss in the United Cup final, Iga Swiatek won the MVP award after an impressive run in the tournament with five consecutive victories, only dropping a set against Caroline Garcia in the semifinal but ultimately securing the win.
The world No. 1 led the Polish team throughout the tournament, competing in women's singles and mixed doubles alongside world No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz. In the final, they faced Germany, where Swiatek secured a victory against Angelique Kerber (6-3, 6-0).
However, luck was not on Poland's side as, in the second match, Hubert Hurkacz squandered two Championship points against Alexander Zverev, who eventually turned the match around to win 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. In the decisive mixed doubles match, the Polish team took the court, but Zverev teamed up with Laura Siegemund to ultimately claim the title with a score of 4-6, 7-5, [10-4].
Iga Swiatek wins the MVP award at the United Cup. Poland didn’t win the trophy, but it’s great that Iga’s being recognized for what she did in this event. Singles… Mixed doubles… You name it, Iga does it. Great to see her smiling. Congratulations. 🇵🇱❤️
Nevertheless, the MVP was Swiatek, who will enter the Australian Open with high spirits as the tournament's top seed. Her teammate throughout the tournament, Hubert Hurkacz, congratulated his compatriot for the recognition: “Congrats Iga for the MVP trophy. She definitely deserves it. She’s #1 in the world & she showed it here. So much fun watching her play. She was carrying me on mixed doubles,” Hurkacz said to his partner after losing the United Cup final.
The 4-times Grand Slam champion also expressed gratitude for the recognition and, despite the loss in the final, highlighted the positive aspect of the Polish team's performance: “It was really tight. Last year we made it to the semi-finals, this year to the final, so hopefully the next step is going to be winning,” Swiatek said.
“For sure we’re making progress and I want to thank my team, all the players, the captain [Tomasz Wiktorowski], who I convinced to be a captain. And he did an amazing job, really supported us throughout the whole tournament,” she added.
