Iga Świątek to Skip United Cup and Start Season in Brisbane

Iga Świątek will skip the upcoming United Cup team tournament to open her 2027 season at the WTA 500 event in Brisbane, breaking a four-year tradition with the Polish national squad. The decision shifts her early-year schedule away from the mixed-teams competition she won in January 2026 to focus on preparations for the Australian Open.

Scheduling Shift for Australian Open Preparation

The six-time Grand Slam champion decided to alter her calendar to target the only major title missing from her resume. The Brisbane tournament runs from January 3 to 10, 2027, overlapping directly with the United Cup. Francisco Roig explained the strategy in an interview with Przegląd Sportowy Onet, noting that the choice was driven by the training plan and the start schedule for Melbourne. Roig acknowledged that representing Poland remains vital to the former WTA world number one, making the departure from the team event an adjustment after competing in every edition since the tournament’s inception in 2023.

Przegląd Sportowy noted that the scheduling pivot costs Świątek 150 ranking points earned during the previous United Cup campaign, where Poland claimed the title by defeating Switzerland 2–1 in the final, with Hubert Hurkacz and the doubles team of Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zieliński securing the deciding wins after Świątek dropped her matches in both the semifinals and the final. Instead, she will compete for 500 ranking points in Brisbane alongside contenders such as Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. Following Brisbane, the Australian Open takes place from January 17 to 31, 2027.

Poland Defends Title Without Leading Singles Player

Poland will head to Perth and Sydney to defend the United Cup trophy from January 1 to 10, 2027. Hubert Hurkacz and Maja Chwalińska occupy the team’s early entry spots, with the official roster deadline set for November 9. Chwalińska, currently ranked 11th in the WTA rankings, enters the mixed-teams event following a season finish that also includes a scheduled Billie Jean King Cup appearance against Sweden in November.

While the tournament draw on November 12 will establish the group stages for the 18 competing nations, the Polish squad faces the challenge of defending a championship without the player who led their singles lineup. Tournament organizers permit player registrations through early November, but Świątek’s confirmed entry in Brisbane removes her from the national team roster for the opening week of January.

Global Contenders and Past National Roster Details

In previous championship runs, the Polish team included Hubert Hurkacz, Katarzyna Kawa, Jan Zieliński, Daniel Michalski, and Katarzyna Piter under the captaincy of Mateusz Terczyński. Meanwhile, tournament lists for the upcoming event feature international competitors such as Victoria Mboko, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Gabriela Dabrowski for Canada, alongside Taylor Fritz for the United States, Donna Vekić for Croatia, and Flavio Cobolli for Italy.

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