GB out of United Cup after Boulter loses to Swiatek

Katie Boulter is ranked 24th in the world after the best season of her career in 2024

Katie Boulter fell agonisingly short of a stunning win over five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek as Great Britain's hopes of reaching the United Cup semi-finals were ended by Poland.

Boulter, 28, needed victory to send the best-of-three tie into a deciding doubles, but lost 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4 against world number two Swiatek in Sydney.

The pair showed their mutual respect with a warm embrace at the net after an enthralling contest which lasted almost three hours.

"I'm exhausted. I'm happy I won so I didn't have to play the doubles," said Swiatek.

"This match was so crazy, there were so many changes of momentum."

Britain's hopes relied on Boulter causing a shock against the five-time major champion after Billy Harris narrowly lost to former world number six Hubert Hurkacz.

Harris, 29, pushed 16th-ranked Hurkacz in the opening match of the best-of-three tie before going down 7-6 (7-3) 7-5.

Poland, who were one of the pre-tournament favourites, will face Kazakhstan in the last four on Saturday.

How Boulter pushed Swiatek close in thriller

Carrying added belief from the finest season of her career last year, Boulter has been a talismanic presence for Britain in the mixed gender team event.

The world number 24 led her nation into the quarter-finals with crucial singles victories against Argentina's Nadia Podoroska and Australia's Olivia Gadecki in the group stage.

Facing Swiatek was a step up in class, but presented an opportunity for Boulter to showcase her ability against the most dominant player on the WTA Tour over the past three seasons.

A rampant start by the Pole, who moved 4-1 ahead in the first set, was ominous for the Briton, but she showed her quality in a spirited response.

Causing problems with her baseline power, Boulter began to match Swiatek's intensity and put a contest which showcased the crisp ball-striking of both players back on serve.

Swiatek has sometimes struggled to get to grips with heavy-hitting opponents, often becoming less accurate with her returning as she tries to match their power.

Errors crept in as Boulter continued to pummel her groundstrokes, with the Briton playing some of the best tennis of her career to move into a one-set lead.

Sustaining that level was not going to be easy, though.

Swiatek hit back by making another strong start in the second set, taking some of the pace out of the rallies with loopier returns and going on to comfortably level.

Momentum continued to fluctuate as Boulter bounced back to secure an early break in the decider.

After Swiatek took a medical timeout, the Briton lost the next eight points as her 2-1 lead turned into a 3-2 deficit, while both players were unable to take further break points in the eighth and ninth games.

Had Boulter taken her chance, it would have left her serving for the biggest win of her career by ranking.

Instead, Swiatek survived and broke Boulter to love, throwing her racquet high into the air to demonstrate her relief at coming through.

Swiatek was delighted at earning victory against Boulter in their first career meeting

It was another painful defeat for the British team.

Harris, a late bloomer who has made huge strides in the past two years, was playing as Britain's leading man, with Jack Draper nursing a hip injury and Cameron Norrie starting the season at an ATP event in Hong Kong.

Like in his defeats against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Australia's Alex de Minaur, the world number 125 acquitted himself well against a much higher-ranked opponent in Hurkacz.

Harris served strongly throughout but was unable to break 2021 Wimbledon semi-finalist Hurkacz, whose superior pedigree proved the difference in the decisive moments.

Burrage holds match point before losing in Auckland

There was further disappointment for British fans when Jodie Burrage missed the chance to reach the quarter-finals at the season-opening WTA event in Auckland.

The British number seven held a match point in the deciding set against American opponent Hailey Baptiste but could not convert and went on to lose 5-7 7-5 7-6 (8-6).

Burrage, 25, is trying to kickstart her career after missing large chunks of last season with wrist and ankle injuries.

After being given a late spot in the Auckland main draw as a lucky loser, she made the most of her opportunity with an opening win over New Zealand wildcard Vivian Yang.

Despite losing to 92nd-ranked Baptiste, the performances will stand Burrage in good stead going into the Australian Open, where she plays under an injury protected ranking.