Hurkacz's Stunning Upset and Swiatek's Comeback Spark Poland's Davis Cup Triumph Over Germany
5 January 2026
Hurkacz Stuns Zverev as Poland Take Early Davis Cup Lead
Hubert Hurkacz delivered a stunning upset by defeating Alexander Zverev on Monday in Sydney as Davis Cup action got underway, before Iga Swiatek staged a remarkable comeback to cap a 3-0 win for Poland over Germany in a repeat of the 2024 final.
Hurkacz, returning after a seven-month layoff due to a right knee injury and surgery last July, produced a top-level performance. The former world No. 6 beat world No. 3 Zverev 6-3, 6-4 to hand his country an early lead.
Hurkacz said after the match, "It's been a long time since I competed. I spent seven months in tough times with my team and we didn't know when we’d return to the court, so I just tried to enjoy every moment out there today."
Swiatek's Comeback Seals the 3-0 Win
Swiatek had to work hard to overcome Lys's stubborn resistance, then secured the decisive break in the tenth game of the final set to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in about two and a half hours.
Lys nearly produced one of the tournament's biggest upsets after taking the first set and breaking serve to lead 3-1 in the second. But Swiatek (six-time Grand Slam champion) rattled off five straight games to take the second set, then held firm in the shifting final set to register her 31st win in 32 matches against players outside the world's top 40.
The Polish pair Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zieliński wrapped up with a 7-6, 6-3 victory in the mixed doubles over Laura Siegemund and Zverev to seal the 3-0 success. Punchline: If tennis were a stand-up routine, Hurkacz just served the closing joke on Zverev's serve. Punchline 2: Swiatek's forehand was so on-point today that even the ball started cheering in perfect Polish.
