Iga Swiatek makes her feelings clear as Casper Ruud issues challenge over their intense United Cup exchange

Iga Swiatek recently outshone ATP star Casper Ruud in a jaw-dropping moment at the 2025 United Cup. Swiatek was part of a dramatic mixed doubles match that saw her take on Ruud in a memorable rally. With a stunning cross-court forehand winner, Swiatek left her Norwegian opponent and his teammate, Ulrikke Eikeri, in awe, helping Poland secure a victory in the deciding tie.

After Swiatek dominated her singles match against Malene Helgo with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory, and Ruud took down Hubert Hurkacz 7-5, 6-3 to keep Norway’s hopes alive, all eyes turned to the mixed doubles match to determine the winner.

The match pitted Poland's Swiatek and Jan Zielinski against Norway's Ruud and Eikeri, with the title at stake. The match reached its climax during the thrilling tiebreak.

The decisive moment came when Ruud, serving at 4-3 in the tiebreak, hit a forehand toward Swiatek. What followed was an intense baseline rally between the two tennis stars, culminating in Swiatek delivering a stunning cross-court forehand winner that caught Eikeri off guard. This sensational shot helped Poland clinch a 10-8 win in the match tiebreak, securing a memorable comeback victory.

Watch the video here:

Following the match, the epic rally was shared by Tennis TV on Instagram on December 30, 2024. In the post, Ruud jokingly commented on the point, saying:

"Too good @iga.swiatek 👏 but next time stay down the line until one of us makes a mistake😜🎾 I’m sure it would be me at some point🤣."

Swiatek responded with a humorous reply:

"Challenge accepted."

Source: instagram.com/reel/DEN3qQdoqt-/

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Iga Swiatek calls out United Cup crowd for "booing" Norway, later offers apology for misunderstanding

In Picture: Iga Swiatek during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals (Image source: Getty)

Iga Swiatek responded to crowd chants during the United Cup in Australia, initially mistaking their cheers for Casper "Ruud" as boos. Upon realizing her error, she promptly apologized for the misunderstanding.

During the decisive mixed doubles match, Swiatek appeared visibly annoyed by what she believed were boos, only to humorously discover they were enthusiastic chants for Ruud. In her post-match interview, she addressed the mix-up with an apology, drawing parallels to a similar incident involving Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

"OK if you were saying (Casper) Ruud, then I’m sorry. Well, I saw on internet last year that someone else was confused, I think with (Holger) Rune? They (the crowd) were saying ‘Rune’ ...OK, then it’s my fault," Swiatek said.

Poland will play the Czech Republic, the group leader, in its final match on January 1, 2025. In the singles, Iga Swiatek will face Karolina Muchova, while Hubert Hurkacz will face Tomas Machac. In the mixed doubles, Swiatek and Jan Zielinski will face Muchova and Machac.