Iga Swiatek played on December 30 as part of the United Cup competition. She was representing her nation of Poland against Norway and the overall tie was a pretty interesting one. In the first match of the tie, Swiatek smashed her opponent 6-0, 6-1 to give Poland the first point.

Casper Ruud then bested Hubert Hurkacz to keep Norway alive, and then came the doubles. Swiatek was paired up with Jan Zielinski and they won against Ruud and Ulrikke Eikeri to secure the win for Poland.

It was a pretty competitive doubles match as the Polish team won the opening set without too many problems. Then came the second set where the Norwegian combo fired back with a 6-0 win and finally in the match tiebreak, it was 10-8 for the Polish squad.

Iga Swiatek appeared to whisper something to Casper Ruud at the net as they were shaking hands and she told the media during the post-match press conference what she told the three-time Grand Slam finalist.

“I said it is fun to play against his forehand because I always loved his forehand, you know. Yeah, I just said that,” Iga Swiatek said.

Ruud does have a signature forehand that is quite tricky to counter, especially as it has a lot of spin resembling that of Rafael Nadal, for example. As somebody who idolized Nadal growing up, Swiatek certainly has an appreciation for that type of forehand.

Iga Swiatek’s wonderful start to the new season

As one of the best players in the world, Iga Swiatek has high hopes for the upcoming season. So far, it’s been a wonderful start for her with some tremendous performances at the United Cup. In the first competitive match of the new season, Swiatek played wonderfully against Malene Helgo from Norway, beating her 6-1, 6-0.

Even in doubles, Swiatek didn’t have any problems, though it was a bit of a close match. Not even a late change in selection from Hubert Hurkacz to Jan Zielinski caused problems for Swiatek, who adjusted swiftly and continued performing at a very high level.

Swiatek’s competed at the United Cup in the past, though she never went all the way. The hope is that possibly this year the nation can go all the way, and Swiatek will have to play a huge part if they want to see that happen. Up next for the Polish player is a tough matchup against Karolina Muchova, who has been one of the better-performing players in recent times.