Taylor Fritz suffered yet another loss in his first tournament of the 2026 season in a shock defeat to Hubert Hurkacz at the United Cup.
The American number one, who was beaten by Sebastian Baez and Stefanos Tsitsipas earlier in the event, was seeking to give the US a 1-0 lead in their semifinal tie with Poland.
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Fritz was denied by Hurkacz, however, with the Pole earning another statement victory after being sidelined for the second half of 2025 with a knee injury.
The Pole’s triumph follows his win over home hope Alex de Minaur in the United Cup quarterfinals.
Hurkacz spoke to Jim Courier after the match and told the American legend that his commentary has helped him during the off-season.
Hubert Hurkacz reacts to his United Cup victory over Taylor Fritz
In his on-court interview, the world number 83 said: “Playing Taylor is such a big challenge, and it’s a very difficult match, and especially [on] this court.
“It’s quite fast, he’s serving very powerfully, [and] also his forehand is really big, so if you leave anything short he’s gonna come after it.
“So I felt like I played actually quite solid myself. I tried to be more aggressive.
“Actually, during my time off, I was watching some of my past matches. I was listening to your commentary (Courier), and actually, it’s a good help for players as well.
“So yes, I try to implement the things, and obviously, my team behind me, they all worked so hard throughout this past month, and it’s just really incredible, and I’m grateful for their support.”
Hubert Hurkacz says there was ‘less expectation’ coming into the United Cup
Hurkacz’s United Cup campaign marks his first appearance at an ATP event since June.
He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee after dealing with pain throughout the year, having torn his right meniscus at Wimbledon in 2024.
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When asked if he is surprised to be playing at such a high level so quickly after his return, Hurkacz replied: “Yes and no.
“So definitely pleasantly surprised in a way because I haven’t played in such a long time, in seven months, it’s my first tournament so to come back from such a long period first time in my life, you never know what to expect.
“On the other hand, I was putting so much work outside of the court, so you know I give myself time to get back to my level, and maybe [there was] a little less expectation coming to this week as well.”
Hurkacz, who reached a career-high of sixth in the world in 2024, is currently 50th in the live rankings.
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