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Australia and Poland into United Cup semi-finals

3 minute read

Top seeds Poland and tournament hosts Australia are the first two nations through to the semi-finals of the $US10 million United Cup mixed tennis showpiece.

Iga Swiatek.
Iga Swiatek. Picture: AAP Image

Iga Swiatek plans on making a bee line to Bondi Beach after the rampant world No.1 spearheaded Poland into the United Cup semi-finals with another merciless display in Perth.

The top-seeded Poles were the first nation through to the last four of the $US10 million mixed teams' event after the pre-tournament favourites recorded a resounding 3-0 win over China on Wednesday.

Australia followed suit when Alex de Minaur stunned world No.1 Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-4 to lead the tournament hosts to a 3-0 victory over Serbia in Perth.

While Djokovic's Australian Open preparations hit a snag, Swiatek extended her ominous winning streak to 14 matches, including 13 in straight sets, with a 6-2 6-3 dispatch of Qinwen Zheng to seal the tie.

The 93-minute cakewalk, during which the four-time grand slam champion reeled off nine consecutive games, followed Hubert Hurkacz's 6-3 6-4 win over Zhizhen Zhang earlier at RAC Arena.

Katarzyna Piter and Jan Zielinski completed the whitewash with a 6-3 5-7 [10-7] win over Fajing Sun and Xiaodi in the mixed doubles.

Poland will now make the trek east to Sydney for the semi-finals - and Swiatek personally can't wait.

"I really wanted to go to Sydney especially because my coach told me that I can get three days off in Sydney afterwards," the 22-year-old said.

"So for sure Bondi Beach is waiting for us.

"But for now we've got to focus on the semi-final and hopefully the final.

"I'm really happy with my game and how the atmosphere in the team is."

The only team so far to make the quarter-finals boasting men's and women's players both ranked in the top 10, Poland will face either France or Norway for a spot in Sunday's showpiece final at Ken Rosewall Arena.

But, desperate to keep her own team's Cup run going, France's leading lady Caroline Garcia is threatening to stand in Poland's way.

Garcia dug deep to beat Italy's Jasmine Paolini and book France's spot in the last eight.

Garcia's 6-4 5-7 6-4 win followed Adrian Mannarino's 6-4 6-4 victory over Lorenzo Sonego in the men's singles at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.

Elixane Lechemia and Edouard Roger-Vasselin completed a 3-0 win with success in the doubles as France topped Group D.

France will take on Casper Ruud's Team Norway in the last eight on Thursday and have shown their ability to upset the big names after knocking over a star-studded German side containing Alexander Zverev and Angelique Kerber in their earlier tie.

"It was not an easy group and we have gone a step further than last year," Garcia said.

"Obviously we're very happy with it and we want to keep going."

Greece rounded out the quarter-final line-up after world No.6 Stefanos Tsitsipas dispelled any fitness concerns to put his nation 1-0 up in their must-win tie against Canada with a 6-2 6-3 win over Steven Diez.

Runner-up to Djokovic at last year's Australian Open, Tsitsipas pulled out of Greece's opening men's singles rubber on Tuesday with a back complaint, only taking to the court in the mixed doubles against Chile.

But he was untroubled in seeing off the 314th-ranked Diez in two quickfire sets.

Maria Sakkari's 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 defeat of 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez sealed Canada's fate and also pushed Germany through to a quarter-final against Greece on Friday as Sydney's best group runner-up.

Australia, certain to be fresh after two days' rest following the trip from Perth to Sydney, will play the winner of the Greece-Germany quarter-final on Saturday.

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