Poland overcomes Świątek defeat to Bencic and rallies to beat Switzerland in United Cup final

SYDNEY (AP) — Poland bounced back from two consecutive runner-up finishes to win the United Cup after Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa beat Jakub Paul and Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-3 in the deciding mixed doubles match to complete a 2-1 comeback victory over Switzerland on Sunday.

Earlier, Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz beat Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to even the final after Belinda Bencic rallied from a set down to stun No. 2-ranked Iga Świątek 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, giving Switzerland a surprise lead.

Hurkacz was playing in a tournament for the first time in seven months after knee surgery sidelined the former No. 6-ranked player. He won four of his five singles matches, including victories over Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz.

Those triumphs will help ease the pain of defeats in the final over the past two years with a loss to Zverev in 2024 after the Polish player lost two championship points and another last year to Fritz in a tiebreaker.

“Finally, we made it — third time lucky,” said Świątek at the trophy presentation. “I really felt it was a team effort this year. Hubi, what a comeback after so many months. You played amazing. You inspired us all with determination. I feel you improved every part of our game. Our doubles team, wow! You just beat everyone. It was amazing.”

Bencic, who had won all four of her singles and four mixed doubles matches this week, came into her match against Świątek having lost her last five matches against the former No. 1-ranked player.

It looked as if that trend was going to continue as Świątek started strongly and claimed the opening set 6-3 at Ken Rosewall Arena.

But the No.11-ranked Bencic shifted the momentum by winning nine consecutive points to open the second, evening the match in a swift 33-minute set.

The decisive third set hinged on a crucial break at 2-1, where Bencic capitalized on a powerful forehand to seize control. While Swiatek fought to save two match points with consecutive aces, her effort was hampered by an uncharacteristic 36 unforced errors, compared to just 10 from Bencic.

Bencic sealed the win with a sublime backhand winner into the open court on her third match point.

“To be honest, I felt I was in the match from the very first point,” Bencic said. “I thought I was going great and I was 0-3 down. I was ‘OK, what do I have to do.’ I think I just tried to keep the level and just wait for some chances.”

“I think the difference today was I played very freely, I was really enjoying myself out on the court and I was just really going for it.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, left, and Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland meet at the net after Hurkacz won their final match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Teammembers from Poland celebrate with their trophy after defeating Switzerland in the final at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Belinda Bencic, right, and Jakub Paul of Switzerland compete against Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski of Poland in the doubles final match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Katarzyna Kawa, left, and Jan Zielinski of Poland celebrate after defeating Belinda Bencic and Jakub Paul of Switzerland in the doubles final match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Teammembers from Poland celebrate with their trophy after defeating Switzerland in the final at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Iga Swiatek of Poland hits a forehand to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during their final match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, right, and Iga Swiatek of Poland meet at the net after Bencic won their final match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Iga Swiatek of Poland Belinda reacts after missing a shot to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland during their final match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland celebrates defeting Iga Swiatek of Poland in their final match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, left, celebrates with teammate Stan Wawrinka after defeting Iga Swiatek of Poland in their final match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

BERLIN (AP) — Erich von Däniken, the Swiss author whose bestselling books about the extraterrestrial origins of ancient civilizations brought him fame among paranormal enthusiasts and scorn from the scientific community, has died. He was 90.

Von Däniken's representatives announced on his website on Sunday that he had died the previous day in a hospital in central Switzerland.

Von Däniken rose to prominence in 1968 with the publication of his first book "Chariots of the Gods," in which he claimed that the Mayans and ancient Egyptians were visited by alien astronauts and instructed in advanced technology that allowed them to build giant pyramids.

The book fueled a growing interest in unexplained phenomena at a time when thanks to conventional science man was about to take its first steps on the Moon.

"Chariots of the Gods" was followed by more than two dozen similar books, spawning a literary niche in which fact and fantasy were mixed together against all historical and scientific evidence.

Public broadcaster SRF reported that altogether almost 70 million copies of his books were sold in more than 30 languages, making him one of the most widely read Swiss authors.

While von Däniken managed to shrug off his many critics, the former hotel waiter had a troubled relationship with money throughout his life and frequently came close to financial ruin.

Born in 1935, the son of a clothing manufacturer in the northern Swiss town of Schaffhausen, von Däniken is said to have rebelled against his father's strict Catholicism and the priests who instructed him at boarding school by developing his own alternatives to the biblical account of the origins of life.

After leaving school in 1954, von Däniken worked as a waiter and barkeeper for several years, during which he was repeatedly accused of fraud and served a couple of short stints in prison.

In 1964, he was appointed manager of a hotel in the exclusive resort town of Davos and began writing his first book. Its publication and rapid commercial success were quickly followed by accusations of tax dodging and financial impropriety, for which he again spent time behind bars.

By the time he left prison, "Chariots of the Gods" was earning von Däniken a fortune and a second book "Gods from Outer Space" was ready for publication, allowing him to commit himself to his paranormal passion and travel the world in search of new mysteries to uncover.

Throughout the 1970s von Däniken undertook countless field trips to Egypt, India, and above all Latin America, whose ancient cultures held a particular fascination for the amateur archaeologist.

He lectured widely and set up societies devoted to promoting his theories, later pioneering the use of video and multimedia to reach out to ever-larger audiences hungry for a different account of history.

No amount of criticism dissuaded him and his fans from believing that Earth has been visited repeatedly by beings from Outer Space, and will be again in the future.

In 1991 von Däniken gained the damning accolade of being the first recipient of the "Ig Nobel" prize for literature — for raising the public awareness of science through questionable experiments or claims.

Even when confronted with fabricated evidence in a British television documentary — supposedly ancient pots were shown to be almost new — von Däniken insisted that, minor discrepancies aside, his theories were essentially sound.

In 1985 von Däniken wrote "Neue Erinnerungen an die Zukunft" — "New Memories of the Future" — ostensibly to address his many critics: "I have admitted (my mistakes), but not one of the foundations of my theories has yet been brought down."

Although his popularity was waning in the English-speaking world by the 1980s, von Däniken's books and films influenced a wave of semi-serious archaeological documentaries and numerous popular television shows, including "The X-Files," which featured two FBI agents tasked with solving paranormal mysteries.

His last major venture, a theme park based on his books, failed after just a few years due to lack of interest. The "Mystery Park" still stands, its man-made pyramids and otherworldly domes rotting as tourists prefer to explore the charms of the nearby town of Interlaken and the imposing Swiss Alps that surround it.

Erich von Däniken is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elisabeth Skaja, Cornelia and two grandchildren.

FILE - Erich von Daeniken, co-founder and co-owner of Mystery Park, poses in front of the Panorama Tower at Mystery Park in Interlaken, Wednesday, April 23, 2003. (Gaetan Ball)/Keystone via AP, File)