Brisbane International, United Cup live updates: Iga Świątek sends Poland through to final

There is a trophy up for grabs in the national capital, with the Canberra International final underway.

Japan’s Aoi Ito claimed the first set against China’s Wei Sijia 6-4.

Neither Ito or Wei have won a WTA Tour singles title.

An update from across the Tasman …

Denmark’s Clara Tauson has defeated Robin Montgomery of the US to qualify for the final.

Fifth-seeded Tauson triumphed 6-4, 6-3.

Tauson will chase her third WTA Tour title in Sunday’s final against either former world number one Naomi Osaka or American Alycia Parks.

The Dane had to play twice on Saturday, as her quarterfinal against Madison Keys was suspended overnight.

Qualifier Polina Kudermetova has achieved a major career milestone by reaching her first WTA Tour singles final.

The 21-year-old was impressive in defeating Anhelina Kalinina 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 24 minutes on Pat Rafter Arena.

Kudermetova is ranked 107 in the world and has only played in the main draw at a major twice.

She will face either world number one Aryna Sabalenka or gun 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in Sunday’s final.

Iga Świątek has guaranteed Poland safe passage through to the United Cup final.

Świątek gave the Poles an unassailable 2-0 lead in the semi against Kazakhstan with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 defeat of Elena Rybakina in Sydney.

It was a high-quality match lasting two hours and four minutes, illustrating why these two will be among the contenders at the Australian Open.

Poland will play the winner of the second semifinal between the US and Czechia.

It was a topsy-turvy finish to the first set, but Russian qualifier Polina Kudermetova is on top against Anhelina Kalinina.

Kudermetova won the first 6-4, but received treatment on her right serving arm during a medical timeout at the change of ends.

Anhelina Kalinina had reached the semifinals after defeating Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in three sets on Friday.

G’day Natty and welcome to all our readers joining our coverage!

Alycia Parks has emerged triumphant in her quarterfinal against fellow American Katie Volynets.

Parks won 6-1, 6-4 to advance to a semifinal meeting with seventh seed Naomi Osaka.

Meanwhile in the semifinals, Fifth-seeded Dane Clara Tauson leads her US opponent Robin Montgomery 5-2 in the first set.

Nicely played by Iga Świątek, who takes the first set in that tie breaker 7-5.

Both women are serving in the mid 60 per cent range, but Świątek is getting more out of her second serve than Rybakina so far.

I agree, MB. It’s fantastic to see him back on form. With his physical attributes he is sure to be a devastating proposition for anyone, as long as his fitness holds which, given he’s been out for so long, is no guarantee.

And it does make tonight’s match really interesting.

I have a sneaky that Opelka is the better all round player.

Mpetshi Perricard is undoubtedly a stunning server – his performances to reach this semi-final have been sensational.

But I saw him playing doubles the other day and his serve is not unstoppable by any stretch and, if Opelka can maintain the form he showed last night, then that gives him the edge for mine.

I am really looking forward to it though.

There is a roof on Pat Rafter Arena, albeit one that has plenty of gaps around it.

And that’s a good thing at the moment because all of a sudden it has started hammering down with rain.

The fact there are gaps in the roof means that some spray can come onto the court, which would mean the towels will need to be used.

Hopefully it doesn’t last, because it was beautiful earlier…

This first set is going all the way down in Sydney.

Rybakina managed to save five break points, but both women were broken once in that first set.

Looking ahead quickly to our first semi-final on the WTA500 tournament, and it’s a fairytale story against a woman looking to take the next step in her career.

Polina Kudermetova is ranked 107th in the world and has had to come through qualifying to reach what is her second WTA500 semi-final.

The Russian 21-year-old is on a six-match winning streak after winning through qualifying, and is perhaps more tellingly on a seven-match winning streak against players in the top 100.

Anhelina Kalinina is ranked 56th in the world and is looking to make her third singles final on the WTA Tour.

The Ukrainian player was not beaten by a player outside of the top 100 in 2024 and accounted for Kim Birrell in yesterday’s quarter-final, so if you wanted to relive that, you can check it out below.

In Sydney, former world number six Hubert Hurkacz has given Poland a perfect start against Kazakhstan, beating Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets 6-3,6-2.

The women’s singles match could get quite tasty.

Current world number six Elena Rybakina will be looking to level the tie against world number two Iga Świątek.

Rybakina holds a 4-2 career advantage over the former world number one, with the pair sharing their two meetings last year, with Świątek winning in Doha and Rybakina in Stuttgart.

 Rybakina won their last Australian Open meeting, back in 2023, 6-4, 6-4.

Hello everyone and welcome to another day of tennis action across the country, as we reach the semi-final stage of the Brisbane International and the United Cup.

My name is Simon Smale, live from the Queensland Tennis Centre in Tennyson, and Luke Pentony will be with us shortly.

We may have lost one of sport’s biggest names in Novak Djokovic, but we’ve still got plenty of entertainment coming your way.

I hope you enjoy the coverage and we’re both thrilled to be with you.