Will Alex de Minaur be the next player caught in Hubert Hurkacz’s United Cup serving barrage when the pair meets in Sydney on Friday?
The 28-year-old Pole has made an emphatic return from a seven-month injury layoff, firing 21 aces in each of his two-set wins over World No. 3 Alexander Zverev and Tallon Griekspoor. Backed by teammate Iga Swiatek — who has also won both of her singles matches — Team Poland, two-time defending runner-up, has surged into its third straight quarter-final.
Standing in their way is home favourite Team Australia, spearheaded by De Minaur and 19-year-old rising star Maya Joint. The tie gets underway with the women's singles at 5:30 p.m. local time.
De Minaur can draw confidence from his 2-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head edge over Hurkacz, including a win in their most recent meeting at Indian Wells last year. Since then, Hurkacz has undergone knee surgery and is competing as the No. 85 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but his performances in Sydney have underlined why he is a former Top 10 player.
After reaching the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals in November, De Minaur opened his 2026 campaign with a straight-sets loss to Casper Ruud. He quickly rebounded against Czechia, however, pulling double duty to propel Australia into the quarter-finals. Hurkacz is well aware of the challenge ahead.
“Alex has been very successful in the past years,” Hurkacz said of De Minaur, who is at a career-high World No. 6. “He's really quick, moves around the court incredibly well. It's going to be a good challenge, especially with the Aussie crowd. It's going to be a lot of fun, and I'm excited for the match.”
Ace machine 😮💨
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 7, 2026
Of course Hubi gets our @Nexo #serveoftheday!#nexo pic.twitter.com/8tQYNUTm1d
Swiatek needed just 66 minutes to dispatch Joint in their only previous meeting in Seoul last September, but the six-time major champion is not taking anything for granted. While the Australian teenager will enjoy strong home support, Swiatek may have won over a few local fans with her glowing assessment of Sydney following her three-set win against Eva Lys on Monday.
“I love being here,” Swiatek said. “I could honestly live here — I love Sydney. I wasn’t sure, but I think it’s becoming my favourite city in the whole world. I really have fun here.”
If the singles matches are split, the tie will be decided by a mixed doubles rubber.
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