Great Britain won their first tie of the qualifying stage at the Billie Jean King Cup on Friday. Facing Group F rivals Germany, Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter both won their singles matches to give the Brits a crucial victory in Emma Raducanu’s absence.
There is still a doubles match to be played as part of the tie, but Anne Keothavong’s British team secured the win by going 2-0 in the singles rubbers. Team GB will be back on Saturday to face the Netherlands, with the group winners advancing to the BJK Cup Finals in September.
The British team suffered a blow when Raducanu withdrew from the team tournament, citing the need to rest and put in a training block after spending several weeks on the road competing.
In her absence, British No. 3 Kartal made her BJK Cup debut in the first singles match of the tie on Friday, facing Germany’s Jule Niemeier.
There appeared to be no nerves for world No. 60 Kartal, who recovered from an early break down and stormed through the rest of the match, winning 6-4 6-2.
Afterwards, the 23-year-old said: “I’m super proud of that debut match. It’s obviously nerve-wracking coming out here first match on. I’m proud of that performance and I think the crowd definitely stuck with me.
“It’s completely different but I love having the coach next to me and the rest of the guys behind me on the bench. It’s a different style of tennis but I absolutely love this environment. Obviously, it’s important getting that first win on the board.”
Kartal threw her weight behind teammate Boulter, claiming she had “no doubt” the British No. 1 would get the win.
And she did just that – recovering from a set and break down to defeat Tatjana Maria 1-6 6-3 6-1. Afterwards, Boulter said: “It was a really tough match especially as it’s my first match on clay.
“And to come out against someone who is such a good tennis player, very quirky, makes you play so many shots, never easy to play against her.
“I’m really pleased with the way that I came out and fought and found away and actually played some really good stuff in the second and third, so I’m really proud of myself today.
“I just kept believing. I think at the start I was trying to get used to her ball bounce and I was struggling a little bit with it. It wasn’t really coming through the court at all, it was kind of just sitting.
“The moment that I found that, I felt very comfortable and like I was in control of the shots a lot. She’s such a difficult player to play, she’s so experienced and knows how to win a lot of matches so it definitely wasn’t easy.”
Harriet Dart and Olivia Nicholls will now team up in doubles, facing Laura Siegemund and Anna-Lena Friedsam. The Netherlands got a 3-0 win over Germany on Thursday, so the Brits will be hoping to do the same.
“I’m super excited for it, I trust the girls completely, and I can’t wait to see them come out here and have fun and enjoy themselves, and I’m sure the crowd will be right behind them,” Boulter said of the doubles.
After today’s result, Britain will face the Netherlands on Saturday, and the winner will qualify as one of the final eight teams for the BJK Cup Finals being held in Shenzhen in September.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk