United Cup
Switzerland appears in the United Cup final
They wait for the United States or Poland in Sunday’s final
January 10, 2026
Jason McCawley/Getty Images
Belinda Bencic has won all eight points she has played for Switzerland.
by this ATEDIDE ATP
Belinda Bencic is the name of Switzerland in this edition of the United Cup. She alone has carried her team on her back and has been the protagonist in all the qualifiers to guide her country to the final of this competition that opens the 2026 season.
The Swiss, who has won all eight matches she has played in this edition, together with Jakub Paul, resolved the decisive point in the mixed doubles to beat the Belgians Elise Mertens and Zizou Bergs 6-3, 0-6, 10-5 in one hour and 17 minutes in the semifinals and head to the last round for the first time in the history of the competition.
At 28 years old, Bencic is the mother of a 21-month-old daughter and returned to the circuit last year. At the beginning of the season he is exhibiting a high level of tennis that promises a great season ahead.
Together with Paul, who won just six doubles matches last year, he sealed a historic moment for Switzerland by qualifying for the United Cup final for the first time.
This Sunday at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, the Swiss will try to put the finishing touch to ten impeccable days of competition against the winner of the second semi-final between the United States, current champion, and Poland, who have reached the final on two occasions.
To celebrate reaching the final, the team led by Stan Wawrinka had to suffer. Not only because he had to wait until the super tie-break of the decisive point to tip the balance in his favor, also because Wawrinka himself was close to closing the series, but no great Bergs prevented him from doing so on a hot day in which the thermometer has risen to 41 degrees.
Following back-to-back wins over World No. 5 Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 18 Jakub Mensik, the Belgian came back from 40-0 down on Wawrinka’s serve at 4-3 in the third set to get the decisive break, seemingly out of nowhere, in a match that until then had only had six break points.
Wawrinka, a 40-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion, has been inspired at the start of his farewell season. “Stan played very well and I had to fight a lot today,” Bergs said. “It was difficult for me to control the ball in the rest and he served very well; it was very difficult for me. Having rhythm was very difficult. I am happy to have found the solution.”
Bergs, 26, won 31 games last season, more than doubling his win tally. Now, he begins this season at No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings, just three places below his personal best, and he is making it clear that he wants more in 2026.
Highlights: Bergs forces decisive doubles
And in the first match of the day, Bencic had a day of hard work on court, but she kept her unbeaten United Cup streak intact on Saturday, beating Elise Mertens 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(0) to lead Switzerland 1-0 in the semifinals.
It was an even match from start to finish in the two hours and 37 minutes that it lasted, with Bencic who arrived at the tournament in her best form and with a 6-0 record in Switzerland’s first three qualifiers.
“I feel like I have taken off 170 kilos. I was very stressed; I really wanted to do well, and today I felt a lot of pressure not to disappoint my team,” Bencic confessed after the match.
How did you win the match? “My mind shut down and I let my instincts take over,” he added. “I was very focused on myself, on breathing, and I’m very happy that I stayed strong in the important moments.”
