BJK Cup: Slovakia beats Great Britain, advance to title match versus Italy

Slovakia will contest the Billie Jean King Cup Final for the first time in 22 years after beating Great Britain 2-1 in Tuesday’s session.

For the second time in three ties in Malaga, the Slovaks came from a 1-0 deficit and won the tie on the strength of victory by Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova in doubles — this time, defeating Mihalikova’s Hologic WTA Tour doubles partner Olivia Nicholls and Heather Watson 6-2, 6-2.

Hruncakova and Mihalikova’s match rhythm — they delivered a 2-1 win for Slovakia over the U.S. in the opening round in a dramatic match tiebreak — was evident against a British team that hadn’t yet set foot on court together in Malaga.

The eventual winners raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first set, and outside of a hold of serve for Nicholls and Watson to start set two, never trailed in a match that lasted just 73 minutes.

To send the tie the distance following Emma Raducanu’s opening 6-4, 6-4 victory against Hruncakova, the in-form Rebecca Sramkova continued her torrid fourth quarter with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback over Katie Boulter in a battle of the tie’s top players.

Neither Sramkova nor Boulter had lost a set in two previous rubbers, and Sramkova was the first to give ground on that front. Boulter delivered a near-flawless opener, slamming 14 winners to Sramkova’s five, and seemed on the way to sealing a British victory as she broke again in the first game of the second set.

However, Sramkova — who has reached her first three WTA finals in the past three months, winning the title in Hua Hin — roared back. She jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set and 3-1 in the third, then held her nerve after Boulter pegged her back both times. The Sramkova backhand proved her money shot as she came through after 2 hours and 11 minutes.

Slovakia will face four-time Billie Jean King Cup champions Italy, which defeated Poland in the other semifinal that was payed on Monday.