Germany’s United Cup campaign hit a bump in the road Monday evening in Sydney as the 2024 champions faced off against Poland. Alexander Zverev, the world No. 3, was looking to build on his dominant win over Tallon Griekspoor the day before. Germany had blown away the Netherlands 3-0 in their opening match, and this matchup against Poland would be another big test. The Polish side was the runner-up in the past two editions of the tournament and hungry to make an impact early on.
Hubert Hurkacz’s Victory Forces Alexander Zverev into Smashing His Racket
Hurkacz made quite the statement in his comeback, crushing Zverev 6-3, 6-4 to put Poland ahead 1-0 in the Group F tie at Ken Rosewall Arena.
The Polish player had been away from competition since June, following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in July 2025. That long layoff sent his ranking plummeting from a career-high of No. 6 down to No. 83, but you would never have guessed it watching him play. He looked sharp and composed out there, facing just one break point the entire match.
The turning point came at 3-3 in the second set when Hurkacz hit a beautiful backhand down the line to get the crucial break that clinched the victory. Following the match, Zverev was seen smashing his racket on the hard court out of frustration after losing a crucial match.
goatkacz hurkacz zobacz do czego go doprawdziles pic.twitter.com/7G02l4yUDQ
— nat (@hsangelus) January 5, 2026
The whole match took one hour and 24 minutes to complete. Zverev came in with a 3-1 head-to-head record against Hurkacz but couldn’t get his game going the way he wanted. He’d dominated Griekspoor 7-5, 6-0 the day before, but against Hurkacz, he just couldn’t find the same rhythm. The German needed to adapt his game plan but struggled to make Hurkacz uncomfortable throughout the contest.
German Eva Lys Must Take Down Iga Świątek to Keep Their Hopes Alive
The loss put Poland in the driver’s seat in Group F, as Germany had come into the night riding high after crushing the Netherlands 3-0 on Saturday. The 2024 champs had been looking strong, but Hurkacz’s upset win means they can’t afford any more slip-ups if they want to keep their title hopes alive. One loss didn’t end their quarterfinal pursuit, but it definitely shifted the momentum over to Poland’s side.
Germany still has a shot to take control of the match through the women’s singles contest. Eva Lys, ranked No. 29, is scheduled to face world No. 2 Iga Świątek. The Pole enters as the clear favorite, having beaten Lys in all three of their previous meetings without dropping a single set.
Lys, though, had looked solid in her first match, beating Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday. Germany won the tournament in 2024 after coming back from behind, and Poland finished as runner-up in the last two years, so both teams know what’s on the line in this intense tie.
