The 2024 United Cup final tie couldn't be any better, as Alexander Zverev forced the deciding mixed doubles after beating Hubert Hurkacz.
The last thing tennis fans want to see when coming to see a final match, or a final tie in this case, is a dominant victory and quick ending to what should have been a memorable night for the money that they spent on the tickets.
For a moment, it looked like that's what may happen in Sydney during the 2024 United Cup final, after Iga Swiatek bested Angelique Kerber, and she did so in a dominant style, winning 6-3, 6-0.
That meant her compatriot Hurkacz had the title on his racket, had he defeated Germany's Zverev, who was coming into the match after saving match points in mixed doubles the day before, in a match that finished way past 2 am local time.
The two players are known for their powerful serve, so it was expected that fans would get to see at least one tie-break, and they got to see more than that, as the match proved to be a real drama.
There was only one break point, and the German player was the one that had it in the eleventh game of the set, but he did not use his chance, and therefore, the opening set was decided in a tie-break.
The Polish men's no. 1 took jumped out into a quick two-mini-break lead, and he didn't give that away, as his serve is just too good to do that, winning the tie-break 7-3.
Zverev now had only one mission, he had to win two consecutive sets if he wanted to keep his country in play. He had many chances to get closer to that during the second set, as he had a total of five break points, three of which were set points, but again, Hurkacz saved them all.
And the Polish could have completed a Houdini escape in the second set, as in the tie-break, he had two championship points at 6-4, with his whole country supporting him, including hundreds of Poles present at the stadium in Sydney.
But despite being visibly exhausted, Zverev dug deep, he won four consecutive points and the second-set tie-break, 8-6, to force the decider in this men's singles match.
In a match where fans did not see a single break, it was clear that when the German broke his opponent in the seventh game, it could prove crucial, and it did, as he won the match 6-7(3), 7-6(6), 6-4 to win the match and send the tie into the mixed doubles decider.
While it's expected that Hurkacz will team up with Swiatek, as he looked relatively fresh, the question remains whether Zverev will do the same and pair up with Laura Siegemund, with whom he had a lot of success at the event so far, as he's shown his exhaustion multiple times during the match.
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