PERTH/WASHINGTON, January 7, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
One of the most surprising teams to emerge from the United Cup group stage in Perth has been Team Switzerland.
World No. 11 Belinda Bencic has delivered an outstanding all-around performance in both singles and mixed doubles, teamed with unsung hero Jakub Paul. As for 40-year-old playing captain Stan Wawrinka, he has simply rolled back the years in what is the start of his final year on the ATP Tour by spending six hours on court across two singles matches, doing what he does best: fighting from first ball to last ball.
‘Switzerland’ is her middle name pic.twitter.com/RRtHXzKKYm
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 4, 2026
After defeating France 3-0 in its United Cup opener last Saturday, in which Wawrinka persevered for three hours and 18 minutes in the Western Australia summer heat to upset World No. 27 Arthur Rinderknech by eking out a third-set tie-break – Wawrinka’s 583rd victory of his storied career – the Swiss punched their ticket for the quarterfinal round by upsetting favored Italy 2-1 on Sunday.
First, Bencic, the 28-year-old former Olympic gold medalist, lifted Switzerland to a 1-0 lead by defeating World No. 8 Jasmine Paolini, 6-4, 6-3. Then, she returned later on in the tie with Paul to defeat three-time major champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, 7-5, 4-6, 10-7.
“Without this guy, I cannot play,” Bencic said of her mixed doubles teammate, with whom she is 2-0. “It’s been great vibes, great emotions from the team, we are all really into it with our heart.”
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In between, Wawrinka battled for two hours and 50 minutes against World No. 22 Flavio Cobolli, 17 years his junior, before the young Italian secured the three-set win, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (4), that was decided by a final-set tie-break. With a little bit of luck, it very easily could have been another 3-0 shutout victory for the Swiss.
“I think it just starts with the team energy,” Bencic said during her team’s post-tie news conference following their Italy triumph. “Like, we didn’t see each other much before this, but we make sure we’re bonding, doing stuff together. I think this makes such a big difference.
“In the important moments, you just feel like everyone is behind you, you’re not letting yourself go even if you have a low moment.”
Wawrinka chimed out, “We’re living in Belinda’s world! She’s showing us why we’re here.” His comment drew a good laugh from everyone in the interview room.
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What does the 26-year-old Paul, ranked No. 81 in doubles and who wasn’t expected to play a major role like being Bencic’s mixed doubles partner in place of Wawrinka – going 2-0 – think about all the fuss? “I’m just really happy. It was an honor to just to play two times with Belinda,” he said.
“Also, just an honor that Stan puts the trust in me to let me play the mixed doubles, that he believes in me.
“Yeah, that’s just amazing to have such support also from the bench. It’s a great atmosphere we have in the team.”
Besides Wawrinka, Bencic and Paul, the rest of the Team Switzerland roster includes 320th-ranked Luca Castelnuovo and No. 158 Naima Karamoko, both 28 and up-and-comers.
Paul has stepped up to play mixed doubles in place of Wawrinka due to the lengthy time the ageless Swiss star has spent playing singles. It could happen again on Wednesday when Switzerland (2-0) faces Argentina (1-1) in the United Cup quarterfinals Wednesday evening on RAC Arena.
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First, Bencic will face No. 66 Solana Sierra (1-1) and, then, Wawrinka takes on the surprisingly steady, 43rd-ranked Sebastian Baez (2-0). Currently, Wawrinka is scheduled to play mixed doubles with Bencic but don’t be surprised if Paul is inserted into the lineup as a replacement to face Argentina’s Guido Andreozzi and Maria Lourdes Carle (1-1).
When Wawrinka was asked about his playing levels following two grueling and lengthy singles matches, he admitted: “It’s my last year, so I need to spend the maximum of time on the court, so I make sure that happens in every match.
“Yeah, [it] was tough one,” he added after the Cobolli loss. “I think the level was great. I think Flavio was playing really good tennis. He did what he needed when he needed to win. He was putting a lot of pressure [on me]. It was not easy to find solution.
“In general I’m quite happy with my level. Of course, I would have loved to win it. But they finished the job. We are happy as a team. That is the most important.
“For me, I have two days in a row, two big matches. I can see that physically I’m good. I’m feeling good at the beginning of the year. Tennis-wise also. I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep improving for the next one.”
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For Wawrinka, a native of Lausanne, and the rest of Team Switzerland, it doesn’t matter if they are playing in front of a lot of fans or just a few. “We love what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re passionate about being here. Of course, we love it if there’s a lot of fans, a lot of people, amazing atmosphere.
“For us, it doesn’t change. If there is 100 persons or 10,000. We’re still going to fight [to the] maximum. We enjoy what we’re doing. Here we are as a team. It’s great support. We try to keep the energy there [on the court]. We want to win.”
Finally, Wawrinka, a three-time major champion and winner of the 2014 Australian Open, was asked the other day how confident he felt of getting the last men’s wild card for the year’s first Grand Slam, which begins in less than two weeks in Melbourne.
“I don’t know actually,” he admitted. “For me, I’m taking [it] week after week. When I receive good news like I did for playing here and the wild card for Auckland, I’m super happy. I’m super happy when I receive one.
“When I don’t receive [one], that’s all good, I’m going to go for the next tournament.”
And what do his Team Switzerland teammates think about Wawrinka’s chances?
“It’s not even a question,” Bencic replied. “I don’t know what they’re waiting for.”
Added Castelnuovo: “It’s a no-brainer!”
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