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Iga Swiatek has kicked off her 2024 season at the United Cup in Australia and has so far looked impeccable.
She recently led Poland to victory in their group-stage tie against Spain on January 1. Swiatek, alongside ATP World No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz, ruthlessly downed Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the mixed doubles match 6-0, 6-0 to hand Poland the win.
During the contest, Swiatek went toe-to-toe against ATP World No. 26 Davidovich Fokina in many rallies and came out on top. The Pole also managed to get aces against her male rival.
Tennis fans were delighted to see Iga Swiatek get the better of Davidovich Fokina. Many pointed out that the leading women's player adequately answered the Spaniard, who, during his pre-match interview, had said that he was not worried about facing the power of Swiatek. Others argued that she would get the better of a top 100 player in the ATP Rankings in a singles match.
"I genuinely believe she could beat a top 100 man in singles," one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"This aged so well," another one joked.
"The female world No.1 vs the male world No.26, wow," a fan posted on X.
"Hubi’s probably really happy he gets to play with the World No. 1 and not against her," one fan joked.
Here are some more fan reactions to Iga Swiatek's top performance against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina:
Iga Swiatek leads Poland into United Cup quarterfinals
Poland has qualified for the knockout phase of the United Cup for the second year in a row and Iga Swiatek has been in the thick of the action. The World No. 1 began her campaign with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 win against Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil. Hubert Hurkacz defeated Thiago Seyboth Wild and then paired with Swiatek to rout Haddad Maia and Marcelo Melo in the mixed doubles.
In the second group stage clash, Poland faced a little trouble against Spain as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina bettered Hubert Hurkacz in the men's singles contest. But Swiatek came to the rescue and ousted Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2, 6-1. The four players also competed in the mixed doubles, with Poland emerging victorious.
This helped Poland book their berth in the quarterfinals, where they will face one of the two best runners-up teams from the group stages. Poland went all the way to the semifinals at the inaugural edition of the United Cup last year, losing to eventual champions USA.
