United Cup
Wawrinka stands tall in United Cup classic to seal Perth victory for Switzerland
Switzerland leads France 2-0 with mixed doubles to come in Group C opener
January 03, 2026
Colin Murty/AFP via Getty Images
Stan Wawrinka in action on Saturday at the United Cup in Perth.
By ATP/WTA Staff
Stan Wawrinka made a winning start to his final year on the ATP Tour in dramatic circumstances on Saturday in Perth.
With his 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) victory against Arthur Rinderknech, Wawrinka sealed victory for Switzerland in its United Cup opener with France. Belinda Benic had earlier eased past Leolia Jeanjean 6-2, 6-4 to give the Swiss the perfect start to the Group C encounter.
“It’s amazing to start the year like this for me,” said Wawrinka, who announced in December that 2026 would be his final season as a pro, after his three-hour, 18-minute triumph at RAC Arena. “It’s my first time in Perth. A lot of support today, so it was an amazing feeling to play such a difficult match A tough condition, of course. More than three hours, so doesn’t help, but super happy with the fight, with the performance, and to help the Swiss team to get to 2-0 up.”
Stan the man 😎 pic.twitter.com/V19qRFj28Z
— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) January 3, 2026
Rinderknech and Wawrinka’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting was hard-fought throughout. Rinderknech held serve from 0/40 at 4-4 before going on to clinch the opening set with a break in the 12th game, before Wawrinka stayed ice cool to take the second in a tie-break. The trademark backhand down-the-line winner he produced to seal the set had the Perth crowd on its feet as the match moved into a decider.
After an early exchange of breaks in the third set, Wawrinka claimed his first win against a Top 50 opponent on hard courts since 2024 by edging Rinderknech in a deciding tie-break.
The No. 29 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Rinderknech is aiming to build on a career-best 2025 season. He notched 27 tour-level victories, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, a tally which includes his run to the final at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Yet he was unable to find the consistency in his big-serving game to overcome former World No. 3 Wawrinka, who has now recorded an ATP Tour win in 23 different seasons (2003, 2005-25).
Saturday’s day session tie in Perth will be wrapped by a mixed-doubles encounter in which Bencic and Jakub Paul will take on Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
Prior to Wawrinka’s win, Switzerland couldn’t have asked for a much better start to its United Cup campaign than the one Bencic delivered. The 28-year-old dropped the opening game against France’s Leolia Jeanjean, but never trailed again, rolling to a 6-2, 6-4 win at RAC Arena in 1 hour and 31 minutes.
Bencic controlled the matchup from the outset in the pair’s first meeting, dominating at the net, where she won 23 of 29 points, and reinforcing that edge with strong serving. She won 78 per cent of her first-serve points to stifle most of the pressure Jeanjean managed to generate, and sealed the victory with a backhand winner down the line.
“The last game was tricky with the Australian sun,” Bencic said after the match. “I think this is really one of the only places — to play in Australia — where you get into this situation. So I should have done better somehow. So I’m gonna find some solutions next time.”
Bencic is coming off a resurgent 2025 season in which she was named WTA Comeback Player of the Year, climbing from World No. 421 in January to No. 11 in the year-end rankings in her first full season after maternity leave.
“Last year, we didn’t expect it to go so well,” Bencic said. “Of course, I don’t think the work is done yet. I’m extremely happy to receive the Comeback Player of the Year award, and now it’s time to do more work and try to get better.”
