The United States’ hopes of winning the Billie Jean King Cup Finals were dashed in the opening round as Slovakia pulled off a stunning upset in a thrilling doubles match that ended close to 1 a.m. Friday.
Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova sealed the victory for Slovakia in Malaga, Spain, with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, [10-8] win over Ashlyn Krueger and Taylor Townsend. The American duo fought valiantly, saving six match points before the Slovaks finally clinched the win on their seventh attempt.
The match was a rollercoaster of emotions, with the Slovaks racing out to a 9-2 lead in the match tiebreak. However, Krueger and Townsend refused to give up, battling back to close the gap. In the end, it was Mihalikova who put away an overhead off Krueger’s short return to secure the victory.
“It was not the first time that we went on the deciding doubles together. We wanted to win so, so much,” Hruncakova said after the match. “We gave everything we have. I just have no words right now.”
The day had started promisingly for the United States, with Townsend securing a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Renata Jamrichova. However, Danielle Collins was unable to follow suit, falling to Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 7-5. Sramkova’s impressive performance, which included a 20 winners to 16 unforced errors ratio, proved too much for Collins.
Townsend, who recently finished runner-up in doubles at the WTA Finals with Katerina Siniakova, was unable to inspire her team to victory. The United States, who last won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2017, will now have to wait another year for a chance to reclaim the trophy.
