Swiatek’s loss to Gauff doesn’t stop her from chasing the title, netizens say: Gauff should give each of the handsome guys a slap

The charm of team tennis competitions was vividly shown in this United Cup! Nobody anticipated that despite Swiatek being ruthlessly defeated by Gauff, she would still retain a chance to fight for the championship, with a very high possibility of ultimately winning.

Everyone knew before the Swiatek vs. Gauff match that neither side would win easily, but the majority supported the Polish girl because the pressure each faced was not the same.

Poland’s Hurkacz faced off against the USA’s Fritz, and after clinching victory in two tiebreaks, fans watching the live stream went wild with cheers and whistles.

One netizen bluntly said that in the previous two United Cups, Hurkacz often seemed to falter at critical moments, but this time against Fritz he really stepped up, enduring the intense pressure of two tiebreaks and coming out on top — a commendable achievement.

Many believe Hurkacz’s win over Fritz greatly helped Swiatek, who was about to face Gauff, by significantly easing the pressure on the Polish player and naturally increasing her chances of winning.

Just when everyone expected Swiatek to defeat Gauff and secure a spot in the final early, surprisingly, the Polish girl was swept by Gauff with scores of 6-4 and 6-2.

Seeing the disappointment on Swiatek’s face at that moment, even if she didn’t say it aloud, everyone understood exactly how she felt inside.

Swiatek has always been the most active member of the Polish team at the United Cup, eager to help Poland win the title through her efforts, but due to teammates’ underperformance at crucial moments, she has missed out on the championship in two consecutive editions.

Now, losing this key match against the USA’s Gauff, if Poland also loses the final mixed doubles match, not only will they be eliminated from title contention early, but they will also set their worst United Cup record in nearly three years.

Many outside observers think Poland will likely be stopped at the United Cup semifinals because the mixed doubles pair of Kawa and Zelinski may struggle against Gauff and Harrison.

The USA kept Gauff on court for the decisive mixed doubles match with a clear strategy: to maintain her strong form and morale after defeating Poland’s top singles player Swiatek, and with Harrison’s help, overturn the tie and advance to the final.

To be precise, the USA’s lineup was very well planned. Some netizens joked that Swiatek must have been extremely nervous at that moment, her mind racing with hope and prayers tightly wrapped around teammates Kawa and Zelinski, wishing they could work a miracle — because if they lost, everything would be over.

It was originally thought that the mixed doubles result was already in the hands of the USA’s Gauff and Harrison, and the only question was how long they wanted to play. However, Kawa and Zelinski fought desperately, turning the match into a fierce battle and completely spoiling those expectations, making the outcome uncertain.

Especially after Kawa and Zelinski won the first set tiebreak, when cameras caught the Polish team, fans and netizens closely watched Swiatek’s reaction and found her expression to be as tense as predicted.

When Kawa and Zelinski maintained their lead in the second set tiebreak and secured the victory, the moment Swiatek smiled made Gauff the subject of widespread sympathy online.

Some felt sorry for the American girl, who gave her all to defeat Swiatek and pull the USA back from the brink of elimination, showing fierce determination in mixed doubles to help reach the final, but ultimately was let down by her teammates. Winning against Swiatek was just a brief joy like fireworks — in the end, the team still faced elimination.

At the moment it was confirmed the USA was out, Gauff’s face showed utter helplessness, almost to the point of tears.

Viewers in the live chat, seeing Gauff’s state, humorously remarked, “Why don’t you give every man who dragged the USA down a slap each?”

After Poland’s narrow victory over the USA to reach the United Cup final, everyone believed Swiatek could now celebrate early, since Poland holds a clear advantage over Switzerland in the final. If Swiatek and her teammates fail to claim the championship this time, it would simply mean they are truly destined never to win the United Cup.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)