Team USA finished off the first week of the 2025 tennis season on a high note with a clean sweep of Poland in Sunday’s United Cup final in Sydney.
Coco Gauff defeated five-time major champion Iga Swiatek in the first rubber, and Taylor Fritz clinched the sweep with a three-set win over Hubert Hurkacz in the second match.
Gauff’s 6-4 6-4 victory was massive, as she entered Sunday’s showdown with Swiatek with just two wins in their previous 13 meetings, but the 20-year-old made it two victories in a row over Swiatek with an inspired performance in a high quality affair.
The American broke Swiatek’s serve five times and engineered breaks in the tenth game to clinch both sets. Gauff did not drop a set in five singles matches at United Cup.
Swiatek entered the match undefeated on the year at 4-0 but was outplayed by Gauff in the critical moments. She also appeared to be struggling physically in the second set, as she took a medical timeout before serving to stay in the match in the final game.
"I have the belief that I'm one of the best players in the world and when I play good tennis I'm hard to beat," Gauff said. "Today I think I played some great tennis. I'm glad I was able to get a point for Team USA.”
Gauff made only nine unforced errors and blanketed the court with her typical athleticism. Swiatek made 19 unforced errors, but the run of play was very close throughout the intense contest.
Fritz got off to a dominant start against Hurkacz but was reeled back in as the Pole hit his stride in the second set to force a decider. In the third set there were few opportunities and an elevated level of tennis that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Fritz finally made his move in the tiebreak, rallying from a mini-break down to win six of the final eight points despite missing most of his first serves. His 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4) triumph improves his overall record to 4-1 against Hurkacz.
The World No.4 was mobbed by his teammates after match point, the Americans celebrating a tone-setting week in Australia which will allow Gauff and Fritz to travel to the Australian Open with lots of momentum.