By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, November 10, 2023
Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova beat Danielle Collins and Taylor Townsend 6-3, 7-5 clinching the Czech Republic's 2-1 win over Team USA.
Photo credit: Sarah Stier/Getty
Swarming Barbora Krecjikova and Katerina Siniakova in a celebratory group hug, Czech players bounced up and down in joyous jump.
Team togetherness carried the Czech Republic back to the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
More: Team USA Turns Suicide Squad Supporting Captain
Olympic gold-medal champions Krejcikova and Siniakova defeated Danielle Collins and Taylor Townsend 6-3, 7-5 clinching the Czech Republic’s 2-1 win over the United States in the win-or-go-home Group A finale in Seville, Spain today.
The 11-time King Cup champion Czech Republic advanced to tomorrow’s semifinals where it will face a Canadian squad led by former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez for a spot in the final not before 4 p.m. local time. Group C champion Canada completed round-robin play with a perfect 6-0 match record, the only semifinalist to go undefeated in round-robin play.
The winner of the Czech Republic vs. Canada semifinal will face either Group D champion Italy or semifinal debutante Slovenia, which squeezed out the Group B title, in Sunday’s final.
It was truly a team effort for Czech Republic as Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova vanquished Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-1, to level today’s tie at 1-1.
That win came after Collins conquered Siniakova 6-3, 6-3, in today’s opener, raising her King Cup singles record to 7-1.
The 24-year-old Vondrousova brings her best playing for her nation. Vondrousova has won 26 straight sets in Billie Jean King Cup competition and won the Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo Games.
The commitment to the Cup cause is strong for Czech players: Three members of the team—Vondrousova, Krejcikova and Siniakova—made the flight from Cancun, where they competed in last week’s WTA Finals, to Seville, Spain to carry the team into the final four.
In fact, all five Czech players—Marie Bouzkova, Linda Noskova, Krejcikova, Siniakova and Vondrousova—scored at least one win in round-robin play to lift the nation back the semifinals.
The end of today’s tie is the end of an era for Team USA: It was the final tie for Captain Kathy Rinaldi, who caps a successful seven-year tenure that saw her lead the United States to its record-extending 18th King Cup championship in 2017 followed by a return trip to the final in 2018 where the Americans lost to the deep Czech Republic.
Captain Rinaldi's seven years as leader make her the fourth-longest-tenured of the 19 captains in U.S. team history, behind Billie Jean King and Marty Riessen (9 years) and her immediate predecessor Mary Joe Fernandez (8 years). Her 12 tie wins are tied for fifth all-time among American captains.
There were tears as the United States departed, but the team can look back on a distinguished run during Rinaldi’s tenure and look forward to a formidable future with Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport taking over as captain next year and the potential returns of US Open champion Coco Gauff and Montreal champion Jessica Pegula.
Asked afterward to reflect on team memories, Rinaldi shed tears thanking her players and inviting them to visit the special Team USA bench she plans to install in her backyard.
"It's an incredible week, an incredible week. Everybody was selfless," Rinaldi said. "It was all about the players. The private coaches that came in, the staff, it was just an incredible week.
"I'll take this week back, I'll take all my ties, always incredible. I loved my position as captain. I'll miss it greatly. But I'm very grateful and very honored that I had the years that I did, and there are so many memories.
"My saying was "What happens at Billie Jean King Cup stays at Billie Jean King Cup." So I'm not giving anything away, and that's ours. I feel like that's what's so special."
A confident Collins opened today’s win–and-advance tie, sweeping Siniakova 6-3, 6-2. Collins won 29 of 33 first-serve points and saved all three break points she faced.
Imposing her brand of assertive tennis, the 29-year-old Collins staked the USA to a 1-0 lead, raising her Billie Jean King Cup singles record to 7-1 lifetime.
“Very satisfied. I think yesterday I shook off some of the rust of having a couple of weeks off,” Collins said in her on-court interview. “Today was really smooth sailing. I think with the help from the coaches and my teammates I was able to put together a game plan and just execute that well.
“I certainly had a little bit more time on court yesterday with a really challenging first set there. So I think that really kind of help me get through this and find my rhythm so I was on today.”
Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova was on her game stomping Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-1 in a 70-minute demolition to level the tie, 1-1, and set the stage for the decisive doubles.
Though Vondrousova went winless in her WTA Finals debut in Cancun last week, she was match fit and firing from the very first point in a must-win first meeting between Grand Slam champions.
Across the net, Kenin, depleted from subduing Swiss Viktorija Golubic 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-5 in a grueling two hour, 52-minute win yesterday, was empty and erratic. Kenin scattered 34 unforced errors—20 more than Vondrousova—and was in tears by the end of her lopsided loss today.
U.S. Captain Kathy Rinaldi tabbed the red-hot Collins to replace 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens as starter alongside Taylor Townsend for the decisive doubles match.
Facing the accomplished Krejcikova and Siniakova—who own the career doubles Grand Slam, Olympic gold medal and WTA Finals title on their illustrious resume—was a tall task for the veteran American duo.
The Czech pair have partnered for seven Grand Slam doubles titles and set the tone immediately. Siniakova slammed a backhand return winner down the line and Krejcikova snapped off a smash as the pair broke Collins’ serve to open.
Experience was evident in the Czech team’s composure. Down love-40, Krejcikova swatted a series of first serve setting up Siniakova for some point-ending volleys as the pair roared back to save all three break points, confirming for 2-0.
The Czechs read the play well and were moving in unison squeezing the net in pressuring Townsend’s serve. Siniakova caught Collins leaving early while poaching and made her pay spinning a forehand return winner down the line as the Czech Republic stretched its double-break lead to 5-2.
Stepping in, Collins cracked a two-handed return right at Krejcikova’s head as the Americans broke Siniakova in the eighth game.
Collins couldn’t find her first serve or forehand in the ninth game. The Czech pair scored their third break of the set at love when Krejcikova punched a volley near Townsend’s shins to wrap up the 33-minute opening set.
The 2021 Roland Garros champion Krejcikova double-faulted away the break to start the second set.
Holding serve in the face of the oppressive Czech net game proved problematic for the Americans. Krejcikova picked off a pair of passes with volley winners as the Czechs broke Collins to level.
On the full-stretch, Collins flicked back a desperate return. Krejcikova, who had been near flawless at net to that point, set up for the easy sitter but slapped it into net as Team USA scored the third straight break of the set for 2-1.
A sharp Siniakova exploited the Americans’ poaching sliding a return winner down the line to seal the fourth consecutive break of the set. This time, the Czech pair made it stand, holding for 3-2.
Collins rocked a forehand return that Krejcikova could not handle as the Americans broke again for a 4-3 advantage.
A stab Siniakova reflex winner gave the Czech’s match point. Siniakova stood her ground, zapped a drive that an attacking Townsend could not control to end it.
Krejcikova and Siniakova embraced each other unleashinga team celebration.
In the second singles, Vondrousova broke in the opening game as Kenin missed her signature shot, the backhand down the line, twice in a row.
Whipping her lefty forehand down the line, Vondrousova earned another break point in the third game. When Kenin netted a backhand—her 11th unforced error in three games—Vondrousova went up a double break at 3-0.
Tested in the fourth game, Vondrousova erased break points with successive aces extending her lead to 4-0.
The Olympic silver medalist broke at love—her third straight break—charging to a 5-0 lead.
Though Vondrousova dropped serve trying to serve it out, she came right back and broke again on a Kenin error, snatching a one-set lead after 32 minutes.
The Kenin backhand is a rock-solid shot and typically one of the best two-handers in the game, but the American was missing that shot from the outset. Kenin tripled Vondrousova’s error output—21 to 6—in the opening set.
The Wimbledon winner looked relaxed and countered with angle and depth. Vondrousova rallied from a triple break point hole holding for a 3-0 second-set lead.
Even when Kenin created court openings, the finishing shot eluded her. Looking drained from her three-hour triumph over Viktorija Golubic yesterday, Kenin misfired on another backhand as Vondrousova scored her sixth break for 4-0.
Pinching back tears on the changeover, an emotionally-drained Kenin could not find her range to consistently trouble Vondrousova.
A frustrated Kenin finally held on to get on the board for 1-5. Kenin flattened one final backhand into net—her 34th unforced error of the match—as Vondrousova wrapped up a 70-minute thrashing to level the tie and force a decisive doubles.
Collins commanded the center of the court in today’s opening singles.
World No. 55 Collins flattened a forehand winner down the line to save a third break point. Attacking net, Collins coaxed a netted response holding with a yell for 4-3.
Siniakova stumbled through a two double-fault game as Collins broke for 5-3.
The 29-year-old American served out the set.
Looping a high, heavy forehand to back Siniakova off the baseline, Collins crunched a series of deep drives rattling out a defensive error to break for a 2-1 second-set lead.
While Collins is a dangerous grip-and-rip power player, she showed superb subtlety too.
Racing left, Collins carved out a brilliant backhand topspin lob that froze the Czech. That improvised magic confirmed the break for 3-1.
Targeting the Czech’s forehand, Collins was belting shots that dive-bombed near the baseline. When Siniakova scattered a forehand long, Collins had her second break of the set and a 5-2 lead.
Collins served it out at 30 staking USA to a 1-0 lead for the second straight day.