Translation:
Yesterday, the final of the 2025 United Cup team event concluded with Team USA defeating Poland 2-0 to claim the championship, while Poland finished as runners-up for the second consecutive year in this competition.
In the clash between the two teams, the most eye-catching match was undoubtedly the face-off between world number three Coco Gauff and world number two Iga Swiatek. Despite Swiatek holding an absolute lead with an 11-2 record in their previous encounters, it was Gauff who emerged victorious in their most recent meeting at the Riyadh Year-End Finals. Yesterday, after a fiercely competitive match described as a "clash of titans," Gauff triumphed over Swiatek with a score of 6-4/6-4, securing her first-ever consecutive wins against Swiatek. However, the focus of the match was not just on the result; Swiatek's medical timeout at the end of the game became a hot topic of discussion among the public.
Throughout the match, Swiatek found herself constantly playing catch-up. This situation persisted until the middle of the second set when she managed to take a 4-3 lead. However, Gauff then raised her game to a 5-4 advantage. At this critical juncture, Swiatek requested a medical timeout citing "physical discomfort" and left the court for treatment, which lasted more than ten minutes. Fortunately, Gauff remained unaffected by this interruption, and the post-match handshake between the two was quite intriguing.
Regarding Swiatek's actions, the commentator for the match stated, "If it were a common injury, she should have stayed on the court for treatment or a simple massage. If it were a severe injury that rendered her unable to continue, she should have withdrawn from the match directly. The issue now is that Swiatek always uses the excuse of a too private injured area to request leaving the court for treatment. It's unclear whether this is intentional or a genuine sudden injury."
Some fans commented, "She cracked under pressure and tried to disrupt Gauff's rhythm using this method, similar to how she faced Collins at the Olympics! Even the post-match handshake lacked respect; she didn't even pretend!" Another netizen remarked, "It's well-known in the tour that using a medical timeout to interfere with the opponent's rhythm is a common tactic, and Swiatek indeed did so, even leaving the court for treatment, much like Azarenka did against Stephens in the 2013 Australian Open semifinal, which was terrible!" Yet another netizen opined, "Swiatek attempted to use the same trick against the American team but failed to succeed in the end!" However, some netizens countered, "Swiatek loves her country; do you understand her feelings? Do you know the helplessness she feels when injured? Why do people always harbor such intense malice towards IGA?"
It's worth noting that after the match, American tennis player Jessica Pegula changed her social media profile picture. The new profile picture featured a "rolling eyes" expression captured during the handshake with Swiatek before the United Cup final. Some netizens believe that Pegula's action was a subtle mockery of Swiatek's medical timeout in the last game.
However, Swiatek also explained the reason for her medical timeout during the match after the game. She candidly said, "I wasn't in top form today. Nothing special happened. I'm just tired. You know, the number of matches, especially at the beginning of the tournament, is quite high. But yes, everything is fine. And I'm happy because this week I faced powerful hitters and some tough opponents. In both cases, I was able to play excellent tennis. Today, I couldn't give my all."
During the singles match's final stages, Swiatek confirmed that the leg wrapped at the time was not the one injured on Saturday, but overall, there were no significant issues; she was just genuinely exhausted since both group stage matches for the Polish team relied on her to turn the tide. She said, "The initial stage of the tournament was indeed very demanding, but honestly, everything is okay."
Regardless, since the China Open last year, Gauff has indeed experienced another "transformation." Under the guidance of her new coach, Matt Daley, Gauff has won nine out of her nearly ten matches following the Riyadh Year-End Finals. Among her defeated opponents are US Open runner-up Pegula, Australian Open and US Open champion Sabalenka, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, Olympic runner-up Vekic, US Open semifinalist Muchova, and five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek. Now, after improving her serve and forehand grip, her double faults and forehand weaknesses have been significantly strengthened. With these improvements, Gauff undoubtedly deserves the position of the top favorite for the Australian Open women's singles title. Let's wait and see! (Source: Tennis Home Author: Lu Xiaotian)