Over a decade later, another miracle unfolds! Swiatek claims the United Cup with three wins, becoming the new lucky champion.

As everyone knows, winning a title in any tournament is never easy. However, in 2015, Polish player Radwanska was on the brink of elimination after losing two group matches at the year-end finals, but she managed to defeat Romanian player Halep and advance by luck. Afterwards, she went on to beat Spain’s Muguruza and Czech player Kvitova, ultimately securing that year’s year-end finals championship.

Coincidentally, over ten years later, another Polish player won a major tournament despite only securing three victories. So, who is this Polish player? And which significant tournament did she win? Today, this article will take you through the story.

This Polish player is Swiatek, who has consistently ranked in the world’s top ten and boasts three consecutive French Open titles. However, at the 2024 United Cup, despite an undefeated run from the group stage to the final, her Polish team lost to Germany and had to settle for second place.

In the 2025 United Cup, Swiatek led Poland to the final again with a streak of four straight wins. Unfortunately, she was decisively defeated by American player Gauff in the final, suffering her first loss of that tournament. Poland also lost to the United States, finishing as runners-up once more.

In the 2026 United Cup, Swiatek represented Poland for the third time. In the first group match against Germany, she started off losing the first set 3-6 but came back to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-4. The other Polish players also won their matches, resulting in a 3-0 sweep that not only secured Poland’s first victory in the 2026 United Cup but also avenged their 2024 final loss to Germany.

In the second group match, Swiatek allowed Dutch player Larsson only five games throughout the match. After her dominant win, she helped Poland take the lead. Inspired by Swiatek’s victory, the other Polish players secured the remaining two wins, allowing Poland to advance from the group stage to the quarterfinals for the third time. In the quarterfinals, Swiatek comfortably defeated Australian player Joints, who had won two tour titles last season. Poland also beat Australia to reach the semifinals, moving closer to the championship.

In the semifinals, Poland faced defending champions the United States. Unfortunately, Swiatek, who had won all three previous matches, lost again to Gauff in this encounter. Fortunately, the rest of the Polish team rallied, winning the remaining matches after trailing 0-1, allowing Poland to narrowly escape elimination and advance to the United Cup final for the third time. Objectively, they were just one step away from the title.

In the final, Swiatek took the first set but was then reversed in two sets by Olympic champion Bencic. After Swiatek’s loss, Poland fell behind again. Once more, Masters champion Hurkacz bravely stepped up, winning a tough three-set battle against Swiss veteran Wawrinka to even the score. Following that, the Polish duo of Kawa and Jelinski clinched the mixed doubles victory. Just like in the semifinals, Poland came from behind to defeat their opponents, this time capturing the United Cup championship.

Somewhat awkwardly, since the 2024 United Cup began, Swiatek’s performance there has felt like a declining trend year by year. Yet, despite only three match wins, the two team come-from-behind championships have become the most memorable highlights of her United Cup journey. Hopefully, she will achieve better results in future competitions. Let’s send her our best wishes here. That’s today’s tennis story; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)