Britain and Slovakia Reach Billie Jean King Cup Semifinals
Britain and Slovakia Advance to Billie Jean King Cup Semifinals
In a thrilling day of tennis at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, Britain and Slovakia emerged victorious in their quarterfinal matches, setting up a mouthwatering semifinal clash.
Britain, a four-time finalist, kept its title hopes alive with a 2-0 triumph over defending champion Canada. Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, opened the tie with a dominant 6-0, 7-5 victory over Rebecca Marino. Katie Boulter then sealed the deal with a hard-fought 6-2, 6-4 win against Leylah Fernandez.
“We have a great team and a great chance,” said Boulter. “We’re going to keep believing, keep trusting it, and keep enjoying it.”
Slovakia, meanwhile, continued its impressive run with a 2-0 victory against Australia. Rebecca Sramkova cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Ajla Tomljanovic, while Viktoria Hruncakova rallied from a set down to defeat Kimberly Birrell 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-3.
Slovakia had previously stunned the United States, the competition’s most successful nation, in the first round.
In the semifinals, Britain will face Slovakia, while Iga Swiatek’s Poland will take on Italy. Italy lost last year’s final to Canada.