United Cup: Clinical Swiatek leads Poland to victory against Norway; Germany beats China

United Cup: Clinical Swiatek leads Poland to victory against Norway; Germany beats China

Iga Swiatek romped to an emphatic victory for Poland against Norway in her season-opening match at the United Cup on Monday.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek was on the court for the first time since news broke in late November that she served a one-month ban for a doping violation. But the Pole quickly shook off any nerves in Sydney with a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Norway’s Malene Helgo.

“Pleased with everything, honestly. I’m happy for sure with the performance,” said the world number two.

“It’s not always easy to play for your country, sometimes the pressure is a bit bigger. I feel good, I feel happy, happy I can play tennis overall,” she added. “I’m just going step by step and we’ll see what’s next,” she added.

The 23-year-old tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample in August when she was ranked number one.

However, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted that the violation was not intentional and she escaped with a one-month sanction.

Defending champion Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, defeated China 2-1 in the Perth evening session as both nations reached the quarterfinals.

The Germans finished top in their group and will line up on Wednesday against Kazakhstan. China advanced as the best of the three runners-up in Perth.

Second-ranked Zverev recovered from a bad start to beat Zhang Zhizhen 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 but unfancied Gao Xinyu stunned German Laura Siegemund 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to even the tie.

The German pair combined in mixed doubles to defeat Zhang Shuai and Zhang Zhizhen 6-2, 7-6 (7/3).

Zverev had his problems in the opening rubber against an inconsistent Zhang, who swept the opening set but disappeared after that.

“I didn’t start off well. I was missing more shots from my backhand side, which is normally the most stable,” said Zverev.

“He was also playing extremely well, so aggressive. He was not letting me into the match or find my rhythm. Then I found my rhythm and I’m happy with my performance in the second and third sets,” he added.