By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova swept Olivia Nicholls and Heather Watson 6-2, 6-2 clinching Slovakia's 2-1 semifinal win over Great Britain.
Photo credit: MB Media/Getty for ITF Billie Jean King Cup
Committed closers carried Slovakia back to the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova swept Olivia Nicholls and Heather Watson 6-2, 6-2 clinching Slovakia’s 2-1 conquest of Great Britain and return to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
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It is Slovakia's second trip to the final and first since it defeated Spain in the 2002 final to capture the Cup.
Slovakia will face Italy, which beat Poland 2-1 yesterday, in tomorrow’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
It marked the second time in three ties this week the team of Hruncakova and Mihalikova clinched a tight victory.
In the quarterfinals, Hruncakova and Mihalikova edged Americans Ashlyn Krueger and Taylor Townsend 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 to lift Slovakia to a 2-1 victory over the United States.
Today, Captain Anne Keothavong’s British team was one set from the final before Slovakia reeled off the final four sets to prevail.
World No. 43 Rebecca Sramkova smacked four of her nine aces in the final set rallying past British No. 1 Katie Boulter 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to level today’s semifinal.
Earlier, Emma Raducanu continued recent resurgence defeating Viktoria Hruncakova 6-4, 6-4 to stake Great Britain to a 1-0 lead.
Timely serving was a key component for Raducanu, who hit eight aces and denied six of the eight break points she faced in a one hour, 36-minute triumph.
Raducanu broke at 15 to open then staved off three break points backing up the break for a 2-0 lead.
The former world No. 10 Raducanu reeled off 12 consecutive points stretching her lead to 5-1.
Hruncakova saved a set point when Raducanu initially served for the set and broke back. She held for 4-5 forcing the Briton to serve for it again.
This time, Raducanu converted her third set point serving out the opening set at 15.
Raducanu controlled the center of the court seizing a 5-2 second-set lead. On her second attempt to serve it out, Radacanu closed a one hour, 36-minute victory.
Boulter broke to open today’s second singles match and stretched her lead to 5-2 before closing the set.
The 28-year-old Sramkova, who charged to her maiden WTA title in Hua Hin in September, flipped the script, firing out to a 4-1 second-set lead.
Boulter leveled at 4-all and was two games from sending Team GB into the final. Sramkova refused to wilt. Sramkova held at love then broke Boulter at 30 to take the second set and force a decider.
In the final set, Sramkova broke in the final game to level the semifinal and forced the decisive doubles match.