Sydney, 4 January (H.S.): Iga Swiatek led Poland to their second consecutive United Cup final with a hard-fought win over one of her toughest opponents, Elena Rybakina, in the semifinal clash in Sydney on Saturday.

In a clash between top 10 players and Grand Slam champions, Swiatek defeated Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 7-6(5), 6-4, giving the 2024 finalists an unassailable 2-0 lead. Earlier, Hubert Hurkacz set the stage for Swiatek's decisive performance by giving Poland a 1-0 lead with a stunning win over Alexander Shevchenko.

Elena Rybakina, one of the few players who challenge five-time consecutive major champion Swiatek, came into Saturday's match with a strong record, having won four of their previous six encounters. The 2022 Wimbledon champion displayed her characteristic strength early on, opening up a 5-3 lead while Swiatek struggled with a number of forehand errors.

Faced with challenges, Swiatek found her rhythm, increased the tempo in rallies and broke back to 5-5 on her fourth break point of the game. Swiatek then earned two set points at 6-5, but Rybakina fought back and forced a tie-break.

The tie-break was a back-and-forth affair, with the first eight points going to the returner. However, two consecutive backhand errors from Rybakina gave Swiatek another pair of set points. Swiatek finally capitalised on her fourth opportunity, ending the opening set in her favour after 72 minutes of intense play.

In the second set, Swiatek missed two early break chances but regained control with a love break to go up 4-3. Displaying excellent defence, Swiatek held off a break point in the final game before sealing the win.

Earlier in the day, Hubert Hurkacz laid the foundation for Poland's dominance, registering a stunning 6-3, 6-2 win over Alexander Shevchenko in the opening match. The win continued Hurkacz's impressive form and winning streak at the United Cup.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar