United Cup: Iga Swiatek beats Katie Boulter in 'crazy' three-set battle after Hubert Hurkacz downs Billy Harris
By Becky Hart
Published 02/01/2025 at 12:21 GMT
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Iga Swiatek beat a spirited Katie Boulter in the United Cup quarter-finals 6-7(4) 6-1 6-4 to seal Poland’s progression through to the semi-finals, after Hubert Hurkacz earlier beat Billy Harris. The world No. 2 needed to be at her very best to overcome Boulter in a high-quality match, and one that should give the Brit plenty of confidence that she can mix it with the best in Melbourne.
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Katie Boulter put up a good fight but could not quite manage to topple world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the United Cup, losing a high-quality encounter 6-7(4) 6-1 6-4 in Great Britain’s quarter-final.
That result, combined with the earlier singles rubber in which Billy Harris lost in straight sets to Hubert Hurkacz, meant Poland advanced to the semi-finals of the competition, where they will play Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan.
With big-serving Hurkacz having beaten Harris 7-6(3) 7-5 in the opening match, the pressure was on Boulter to deliver against five-time major winner Swiatek.
The two had never previously met, and while Boulter upset the odds to take the opening set, she could not maintain that level of play into the second set.
Swiatek was already match-sharp, having played and beaten the talented Karolina Muchova in the previous round, and she took the match into the decider in dominant fashion after breaking Boulter’s serve three times in the second set.
Swiatek just managed to sneak over the finishing line, ensuring that Poland progressed before the doubles tie was even played.
"I don’t know [how I won], I’m just exhausted," Swiatek said in her on-court interview.
"I’m happy that I won, so I don’t have to play mixed doubles! This match was crazy, so many changes of momentum. I thought I had it under control, but then I got tight. I had to take painkillers, but I’m happy we won and for sure I’m going to need the day off tomorrow.
"I tried to keep pushing as I knew I had to keep up the quality, for sure it’s hard to be precise under so much pressure. It’s a step forward, I’m happy. The key in my game is always to [play] spin, so I need to stay committed to that."
Joking that she would only come back out to watch the mixed doubles if "they give me space to lie down and take a nap", Swiatek might be very happy to have a rest day tomorrow before thinking about Poland's semi-final against Kazakhstan.
The match started with a break of serve as Swiatek raced to a 2-0 lead and peppered the lines from word go. But Boulter found some rhythm in the third game, and although Swiatek held for a 3-0 lead, there were signs that the Polish world No. 2 wasn’t going to have it all her own way.
Boulter did break back midway through the opening set to level things up at 4-4, a combination of first serves landing in and some huge ground strokes taking time away from her opponent.
The first set ended up going to a breaker, a fair result given how strongly Swiatek started and how well Boulter then stepped up. It was a high-quality breaker too, the crowd on their feet as the Brit took it with a backhand winner and a roar 7-6(4).
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Katie Boulter of Great Britain reacts to winning the first set in her quarter-final match against Poland's Iga Swiatek
Image credit: Getty Images
Boulter was serving first in the second set, but couldn’t keep the momentum going from the tie-break, Swiatek taking the ball earlier and happy to mix things up with some lobs when Boulter tried to come to the net. The result was a double-break to the Polish player, and Boulter was in all sorts of trouble.
The rallies only grew more and more impressive as both players continued to find the lines, Boulter sportingly applauding a winner from Swiatek after the Pole dropped to her knees to hit a huge backhand. Swiatek took the set at her first opportunity, 6-1, Boulter left wondering what more she could have done to remain competitive on the scoreline considering her level did not drop that much from the opening set.
The decider began with Boulter breaking Swiatek’s serve, before the Pole needed a medical time out off-court. She returned with some tape on her thigh, and the interruption did seem to upset Boulter’s rhythm, Swiatek immediately breaking back to love.
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After reeling off her next service game to love as well, all the momentum was with the world No. 2, but Boulter was not done yet. She saved two break points in the eighth game in incredible fashion, forcing Swiatek out wide as every stroke was roared on by her watching team.
Swiatek was then forced to save a break point of her own - which she did with a winner that caught just 1mm of the line. She broke Boulter’s serve one last time to take the match, letting out a huge roar of triumph.
Harris beaten by Hurkacz
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Billy Harris of Great Britain plays a forehand in the quarter-final match against Hubert Hurkacz of Poland during day seven of the 2025 United Cup
Image credit: Getty Images
In the first singles match, Harris had the tough ask of taking on world No. 16 Hurkacz. Harris went a break down in the opening set but fought back to take it to a tie-break, only to see Hurkacz use his huge serve to his advantage as the Pole took the breaker 7-3.
It was a much better overall performance from Harris than in the last round of the group ties, when he had been comfortably beaten 6-2 6-1 by Alex de Minaur.
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But in the end, Hurkacz had too much for the world No. 125, coming through a 7-6(3) 7-5 winner via an impressive 18 aces to give Poland the first point of the quarter-final.
"Super pleased with myself today, after a difficult battle with Billy who was playing some great tennis," Hurkacz said in his on-court interview after the match.
"This win is so crucial for me to get more confidence, and get more matches in."
Poland will play Kazakhstan in the semi-finals, after the latter beat Germany 2-1 in Tuesday’s quarter-final in Perth. It means there could be a mouth-watering early season encounter between Rybakina and Swiatek, with Rybakina leading their head-to-head 4-2. The USA await the winners of the Czech Republic versus Italy in the other quarter-final.
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