Poland beat Switzerland to claim their first Fed Cup title but had to fight back from behind after defeating world number two Iga Swiatek in the opening singles match.
Former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic got Switzerland off to the best possible start as she defeated Swiatek 3-6 6-0 6-3 in Sydney.
But Poland’s Hubert Hurkacs evened the score by defeating three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 6-3 3-6 6-3 in a thrilling three-set encounter in the men’s singles match.
In the decisive mixed doubles match, the Polish combination Katarzyna Kawa/Jan Zielinski maintained a 100% record in this tournament, defeating Bencic/Jakub Paul 6-4 6-3 and winning 2-1.
“We finally did it – third time lucky… I mean, not lucky, because we worked really hard,” Swiatek said of Poland’s triumphs after losing to Germany and the United States in the 2024 and 2025 finals.
“I want to thank our team because this year I felt like it was a team effort. I really felt supported. Even though my singles performance wasn’t perfect, you guys really kept my spirits up and every single one of you believed in it to the end.”
Poland were on course to lose a third successive final when Bencic extended his record as a Fed Cup singles champion with a ninth win, defeating Swiatek and handing Switzerland the lead in their first final.
But Hulkac maintained his good form after returning from seven months out injured and beat 40-year-old Wowinka in the final season of the tour to help Poland get back on par.
Kawa and Zielinski then proved too good for Bencic and Paul, and their form helped them win a decider in the semi-finals against the American pair of Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison, who went on to win five games in a row to seal the title for Poland.
