United Cup: Great Britain's Katie Boulter loses to Poland's Iga Swiatek, Billy Harris beaten by Hubert Hurkacz


United Cup: Great Britain

Published 2 January 2025 Katie Boulter fell agonisingly short of a stunning win over five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek as Great Britain's hopes of reaching the United Cup semi-finals were ended by Poland. Boulter, 28, needed victory to send the best-of-three tie into a deciding doubles, but lost 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4 against world number two Swiatek in Sydney. The pair showed their mutual respect with a warm embrace at the net after an enthralling contest which lasted almost three hours. "I'm exhausted. I'm happy I won so I didn't have to play the doubles," said Swiatek. "This match was so crazy, there were so many changes of momentum." Britain's hopes relied on Boulter causing a shock against the five-time major champion after Billy Harris narrowly lost to former world number six Hubert Hurkacz. Harris, 29, pushed 16th-ranked Hurkacz in the opening match of the best-of-three tie before going down 7-6 (7-3) 7-5. Poland, who were one of the pre-tournament favourites, will face Kazakhstan in the last four on Saturday. How Boulter pushed Swiatek close in thriller Carrying added belief from the finest season of her career last year, Boulter has been a talismanic presence for Britain in the mixed gender team event. The world number 24 led her nation into the quarter-finals with crucial singles victories against Argentina's Nadia Podoroska and Australia's Olivia Gadecki in the group stage. Facing Swiatek was a step up in class, but presented an opportunity for Boulter to showcase her ability against the most dominant player on the WTA Tour over the past three seasons. A rampant start by the Pole, who moved 4-1 ahead in the first set, was ominous for the Briton, but she showed her quality in a spirited response. Causing problems with her baseline power, Boulter began to match Swiatek's intensity and put a contest which showcased the crisp ball-striking of both players back on serve. Swiatek has sometimes struggled to get to grips with heavy-hitting opponents, often becoming less accurate with her returning as she tries to match their power. Errors crept in as Boulter continued to pummel her groundstrokes, with the Briton playing some of the best tennis of her career to move into a one-set lead. Sustaining that level was not going to be easy, though.