Poland will take on France in the first United Cup semifinal as this is the moment when the teams from Perth and Sydney interact for the first time. The latter team is going to have the advantage of having already played at the venue, but with two days of rest Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz will have gotten plenty of practice on these courts as well. Who do you think will prevail?
United Cup Semifinal Predictions
Hubert Hurkacz vs Adrian Mannarino
Head-to-head: 2-2
Adrian Mannarino’s wizardry didn’t quite work on Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, but the performances of Caroline Garcia and Edouard Roger-Vasselin meant that his team still made it past Norway. He has a more favorable matchup with Hubert Hurkacz, being so adept and feeding the opponent low balls that the World No. 9 has issues accelerating off with his volatile forehand.
Hurkacz does seem to have eased up a little after the shaky first two singles performances and played his best match of the event against Zhizhen Zhang in the quarterfinals. Facing Mannarino keeps him honest and he’ll need to be patiently choosing the best opportunities to attack. He plays as freely as in the previous round and he might get it, but anything less just won’t cut it.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 3
Iga Swiatek vs Caroline Garcia
Head-to-head: Swiatek 3-1
We’re still far away from her record win streak of 37, but undeniably Iga Swiatek is on an incredible run right now. Since Beijing a few months ago she’s been focusing on the tactical approach to her matches a lot more and has looked unplayable ever since. One of the key wins during that run was the quarterfinal against Caroline Garcia as the two women produced one of the highest-quality encounters of the whole WTA season.
Garcia tends to be a tough matchup for Swiatek with her all-out offense and how dangerous she is on return. This might be where we get a chance to check if the tweaked service motion of the Pole has had any major influence on her serving. This will be a battle and while she remains the favorite, it’s not a rivalry where the World No. 1 often feels comfortable. But with how smart she’s been playing recently, there’s a high chance she pulls it off anyway.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
