“Nothing crazy happened”: Iga Swiatek reflects after 7-game collapse vs Bencic and consecutive losses

Team Poland celebrated the United Cup title this Sunday after coming back from a set down in the deciding tie — following Iga Swiatek's surprising defeat at the hands of Belinda Bencic. Poland’s greatest player in history lost her opening match, but her team responded admirably, turning the tie around — just as they had against the USA — to secure the trophy after finishing runners-up in 2024 and 2025.

Hubert Hurkacz, returning to competition after seven months, was a key figure throughout the tournament. He claimed four wins — including two against top-10 players — and only fell to Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals. Hurkacz was a set down this Sunday against Stan Wawrinka but turned the match around to lead Poland to victory.

“Honestly, I’m kind of speechless. It’s really incredible — obviously on a personal level, but also a massive day for Poland and for Polish tennis,” Hurkacz said during press conference. “It’s something really unique and amazing. We showed how strong we are as a tennis country, and winning this trophy is incredible.”

“As you mentioned, we came very close twice before, and now it just feels amazing,” added the former world No. 6. “I’m so grateful to the whole team — everyone supporting each other, being together, enjoying the competition.”

The mixed doubles crown went to Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa, who displayed excellent partnership throughout the tournament. For the fifth time, they triumphed over the duo of Bencic and Paul, who had been undefeated in mixed doubles prior to this final.

Swiatek's opening defeat was a shock for the Polish team, who had relied on the world No. 2 as their main weapon in recent United Cup editions — a nearly guaranteed point in previous finals. The four-time Roland Garros champion took the first set but lost momentum, and Bencic staged a remarkable comeback, including a bagel and seven consecutive games, eventually winning 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Swiatek's drop in form raised questions about whether it was physical or mental. “Nothing crazy happened. It was a mix of me losing intensity and not feeling as sharp with my movement and legs. I wasn’t as precise physically anymore,” the six-time Grand Slam champion explained. “Belinda is a really aggressive player when she gets in the zone. She can hit amazing shots and take a lot of risks. So it was a mix of that, and credit to her for being brave and playing well.”

The world No. 2 will now turn her focus to the Australian Open, taking lessons from consecutive defeats to Coco Gauff and Bencic — two players who always aim for the final rounds at the majors.

“These were good matches to analyse, especially against top players. Belinda likes to play on fast surfaces, so it was a good test,” Swiatek added. “We’re going to work on the elements that didn’t work this week. There isn’t much time if I also want to recover, but that’s tennis — we have to go with the flow.”

The 24-year-old will be looking to win her seventh Grand Slam at Melbourne and complete the Career Grand Slam — adding to her trophies at the French Open (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024), US Open (2022), and Wimbledon (2025). She only needs the Australian Open to become the sixth player in the Open Era to win all four majors over a career — after Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova.