Tennis: France eliminated in United Cup semi-final against Iga Swiatek’s Poland

France stops at the gates of the final. After resounding victories over Germany and Italy in the group stage and then Norway in the quarter-finals, the Blues were stopped in the quarter-finals of the United Cup (mixed team competition) by Polish favorites. The only team, along with the United States, to have two players in the top 10, Poland got off to a great start thanks to a win by Hubert Hurkacz (9th) over Adrian Mannarino (6-3, 7-5).

Defeated earlier in the week by Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud, the French number two (22nd) could not hold his serve against last season’s Shanghai Masters 1000 winner, who scored 15 aces. Mannarino, who will make his top-20 debut next week, did not face a single break point.

So Caroline Garcia (20th) was awarded the feat when it came time to take to court to challenge women’s circuit boss Iga Swiatek. Having won just once in five encounters with the Pole, Garcia knew how to put her opponent at risk, winning six games to four in the first round before being brought back to reality by the three-time Roland Garros winner. The latter won 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 in 1 hour 46 minutes.

Poland, represented by the Katarzyna Kawa/Jan Zielinski pair, also won the no-stakes mixed doubles against Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Eliksana Lechemia (6-3, 6-3). Having qualified for the final, Swiatek and his team will face either Australia or Germany, who will face each other this Saturday morning in Sydney.