Bencic rallies past Swiatek to give Switzerland lead in United Cup final

SYDNEY (AP) — Belinda Bencic rallied from a set down to stun No. 2-ranked Iga Świątek 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to give Switzerland a surprise lead over Poland in the final of the United Cup on Sunday.

Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka, who will retire at the end of this season, played Hubert Hurkacz later Sunday, with the Polish player needing to win to keep his country in the tie.

Bencic, who had won all four of her singles and four mixed doubles matches this week, came into her match against Świątek having lost her last five matches against the former No. 1-ranked player.

It looked as if that trend was going to continue as Świątek started strongly and claimed the opening set 6-3 at Ken Rosewall Arena.

But the No.11-ranked Bencic shifted the momentum by winning nine consecutive points to open the second, evening the match in a swift 33-minute set.

The decisive third set hinged on a crucial break at 2-1, where Bencic capitalized on a powerful forehand to seize control. While Swiatek fought to save two match points with consecutive aces, her effort was hampered by an uncharacteristic 36 unforced errors, compared to just 10 from Bencic.

Bencic sealed the win with a sublime backhand winner into the open court on her third match point.

“To be honest, I felt I was in the match from the very first point,” Bencic said. “I thought I was going great and I was 0-3 down. I was ‘OK, what do I have to do.’ I think I just tried to keep the level and just wait for some chances.”

“I think the difference today was I played very freely, I was really enjoying myself out on the court and I was just really going for it.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis