(Video) Iga Swiatek Smashing Racket After United Cup Defeat to Belinda Bencic Doesn’t Sit Well with Fans – “Sore Loser”

Iga Swiatek finally tasted success at the United Cup after two failed attempts. After defeat to Germany in 2024 and to the USA in 2025 in the finals, Poland went past Switzerland 2-1 in the title clash.

In the first match, Swiatek, despite a strong start, failed to capitalize on her momentum, as she was bageled in the second set and eventually lost with a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 scoreline. It was the six-time Grand Slam champion’s second defeat to Bencic in their seventh meeting. Swiatek’s disappointment after the defeat knew no bounds as, while she was storming toward her team, she smashed her racket and sent it flying.

Watch the video here:

👀 pic.twitter.com/C3Byyx96cE

— Lorena Popa 🕵️‍♀️🎾 (@popalorena) January 11, 2026

Hubert Hurkacz later saved his team from the brink of another heartbreak as he registered a three-set win over Stan Wawrinka. Later in the mixed doubles, the Polish pair of Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski secured a straight-set win over Bencic and Jakub Paul.

It was Bencic’s first defeat in the tournament, ending it with a 9-1 win-loss stat. Her performance helped her get ranked inside the top 10 for the first time since March 2023. The Tokyo Olympic champion, who gave birth to daughter Bella in April 2024, was unranked 15 months ago after her comeback from maternity leave.

The Swiss WTA ace now wants to have a similar campaign at the Australian Open, the main draw of which will commence on January 18. Bencic, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, has never advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, losing in the fourth round to Coco Gauff last year.

Fans slam Iga Swiatek for smashing her racket after her defeat to Belinda Bencic

Although it’s not uncommon to witness a player destroying a racket when things don’t go their way, some fans seized the chance to censure Iga Swiatek following her racket-smashing incident. Some mentioned her doping scandal, while some said the 24-year-old, instead of getting stressed all the time, should start to enjoy tennis.

Check out their reactions here:

sometimes i feel really bad for her. i think she’s too hard on herself and is too serious and theres no joy in playing anymore but just wants to win

— ~dear john supremacy~ (@cosmic_tonyN) January 11, 2026

She has been brainwashed. Needs to start enjoying playing the game

— Agustin Petit (@aguspetit) January 11, 2026

Sore loser Iga…some things never change! 🤣

— A.H.M. (@teamjohntee) January 11, 2026

I feel sorry for her. She needs true mental help, but she can't free herself from her fake psychologist

— houda ben (@houdaben009) January 11, 2026

She’s such a child

— Fatima (@Fatima_v_s) January 12, 2026

She lost any chance of being a role model when she failed her doping test some time ago now.
Smashed racquets are just another one in the line of her failures as a sports person 🤮

— Environ (@AlanEnviron2) January 11, 2026

What could be causing this change in her behaviour/personality🤔#Swiatek

— 💙JUSTICE (@Elle_K100) January 11, 2026

She is vile, i can't stand her.

— Kevin Shirley (@kevinshirley73) January 11, 2026

At the Australian Open, Swiatek will be bidding to complete the Career Grand Slam. She is a two-time semifinalist at Melbourne Park, last reaching the stage in 2025, losing the match to eventual champion Madison Keys.

Iga Swiatek analyzes her match against Belinda Bencic

As Swiatek lost seven games in a row against Bencic, she was asked at the press conference whether her concentration wavered a bit. Swiatek said she was only dealing with physical issues.

I’m still here. Nothing crazy happened. I think it was a mix of me losing the intensity, and I wasn’t feeling so sharp with movements and with my legs. I wasn’t so precise anymore physically, I would say. Belinda is a very aggressive player when she gets in the zone. She can really hit amazing shots, not miss a lot. I think it was a mix of that. Also, credit to her because she was, yeah, pretty brave with taking the risk and everything.

Prior to her defeat to Bencic, Swiatek suffered her fourth consecutive defeat to Gauff. The two back-to-back defeats to top players, for sure, are not a good sign when a Grand Slam tournament is looming.

For sure, these are good matches to analyze against really top players. Especially Belinda likes to play on fast surfaces. Yeah, it was a good test. We’re going to work now to improve some elements that didn’t work this week. Still, not a lot of time for that if I also want to have some recovery days. This is how tennis is. You got to go with the flow. We’ll see.

Iga Swiatek added

Last year, Swiatek lifted her career’s first grass-court title at Wimbledon. She also won the Cincinnati Open and the Korea Open.

Also read: Ben Shelton Hopes to take His Chances against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026