Germany staged a stunning comeback to defeat Poland 2-1 in a gripping United Cup final in Sydney. Alexander Zverev emerged as the hero for Germany, as his performance saved two championship points against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.

Zverev and Laura Siegemund defeated Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek 6-4, 5-7, 10-4 in a crucial mixed-doubles match at the Ken Rosewall Arena, guiding Germany to the United Cup title.

Speaking after the final, Zverev said having Swiatek on the team is like playing with cheat codes in a video game. Swiatek will be aiming to win her first Australian Open, when the Grand Slam begins on January 14.

“Congrats to Team Poland, amazing run. It was a matter of millimetres today for you guys to be the champions. Iga, congratulations on the MVP. I said it before in an interview, I think having you on a team is like having a cheat code on a video game, so it’s amazing what you’ve been doing for the past few years and I think you have a big season ahead,” said Zverev.

After a second-place finish in Group D, the Germany managed to scrape into the quarter-finals based on their percentage of games won. Siegemund and Zverev proved to be the tournament’s heroes, securing significant mixed doubles victories on consecutive days to ultimately clinch the trophy.

Earlier in the competition, Poland’s Swiatek, the top-ranked singles women’s player, had the upper hand over Germany’s Angelique Kerber, dispatching her in straight sets.

The 22-year-old Swiatek, boasting a winning streak of 16 matches and title wins at prestigious tournaments such as the China Open and the WTA Finals in Mexico, appeared to have set Poland on a smooth trajectory for the United Cup.

However, Germany managed to overturn Poland’s initial lead. In the men’s singles match where Hurkacz was a set up and leading 6-4 in the second set, Zverev, with a display of resilience, delivered a decisive running cross-court forehand, ultimately keeping Germany in the tie.

The German rebounded to serve out the second set, levelled the match, and clinched the deciding set with a crucial break in the third game, thus sealing the match in a baseline battle lasting just under three hours.