A spirited effort from Alex de Minaur was not enough as Australia bowed out of the United Cup, losing to Poland 2-1 in the quarterfinals on Friday night.
After world No.2 Iga Swiatek proved too strong for Maya Joint, defeating the Australian teenager 6-1 6-1 in under an hour, De Minaur characteristically stepped up for his country against Hubert Hurkacz.
The world No.6 prevailed against Hurkacz for the third time in his career, winning 6-4 4-6 6-4 to force a deciding mixed doubles rubber. His 10th total United Cup triumph, De Minaur becomes the fifth player to achieve that milestone behind Taylor Fritz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Hurkacz, and Alexander Zverev.
Hurkacz breezed through his service games in the opening two sets, sending down 13 aces to De Minaur’s five. However, the Australian showed no fear when facing break point, saving 10 of 11 for the match – Hurkacz’s sole break point came on set point in the second set.
A clean third set from De Minaur helped him claim his second straight singles victory, during which he committed just two unforced errors to Hurkacz’s 18.
“That’s honestly what it took today,” the world No.6 said about his near-flawless third set. “It wasn’t easy after I lost that second set. I had some dark thoughts in my head, but I’m glad I bounced back.
READ: De Minaur bounces back to send Australia to quarterfinals
“He’s an incredible talent, and I’m just so happy that he’s back on Tour [after missing the second half of 2025 with a knee injury] because he’s a dangerous player. I’m not happy playing him, but I’m happy that he’s back.”
Although Australia’s comeback would fall short when Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski defeated Aussies Storm Hunter and John-Patrick Smith 6-4 6-0 in the mixed doubles, De Minaur’s win provides some self-confidence heading into Australian Open 2026.
The Australian No.1 ends his United Cup campaign with a winning singles record for the third straight year, successful against Hurkacz and Czechia’s Jakub Mensik. Strong performances in those matches ensure that De Minaur enters his home Grand Slam with his highest-ever singles ranking.
At world No.5 in live ATP rankings, the Sydneysider is on track to become the seventh Australian since the ATP rankings were introduced in 1973 to obtain a top-five singles ranking. He would become the first to join the group since Lleyton Hewitt, who cracked the top five in June 2001 before going on to reach No.1 five months later.
Tickets to Saturday’s semifinal clashes are available on Ticketmaster, with prices starting at $20. You can also watch on the channels of the Nine Network and Stan Sport from 10am AEDT.