Iga Swiatek gets real on making history for Poland in higly-memorable way

Iga Swiatek enjoyed one of her most memorable nights on Saturday after leading Poland to their best-ever Billie Jean King Cup result in an epic way.

After Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova beat Magdalena Frech in tight three sets, it was up to the five-time Grand Slam champion to keep her nation alive in their quarterfinal tie in Malaga. Since she was due to face world No. 26 Linda Noskova – who is actually one of the trickiest opponents for the Pole – no one expected it to be a cakewalk.

And indeed it wasn’t an easy battle but Swiatek came out on top after two hours and 41 minutes to seal a 7-6 (4) 4-6 7-5 win. Since the match finished very late, the 23-year-old didn’t have much time to rest and she was back on the court as the clock struck midnight.

As if playing a marathon match and finishing very late wasn’t enough, the four-time French Open winner and Katarzyna Kawa had to battle doubles world No. 1 Katerina Siniakova and Bouzkova in the deciding doubles match. While Swiatek is one of the best in the game and Kawa is a top-100 doubles player herself, Siniakova is a dominant force in doubles and the Czechs were definitely the favorites.

But the Polish duo delivered to win 6-2 6-4 and propel their nation to their first semifinal at the Billie Jean King Cup, in which they will play Italy.

It should be noted that the world No. 2 was playing a doubles match in the competition for the first time since 2019.