Tennis

Britain and Slovakia Advance to Billie Jean King Cup SemifinalsIn 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.

The United States' hopes of winning the Billie Jean King Cup Finals were dashed in the opening round as Slovakia pulled off a stunning upset in a thrilling doubles match that ended close to 1 a.m. Friday.Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova sealed the victory for Slovakia in Malaga, Spain, with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, [10-8] win over Ashlyn Krueger and Taylor Townsend. The American duo fought valiantly, saving six match points before the Slovaks finally clinched the win on their seventh attempt.The match was a rollercoaster of emotions, with the Slovaks racing out to a 9-2 lead in the match tiebreak. However, Krueger and Townsend refused to give up, battling back to close the gap. In the end, it was Mihalikova who put away an overhead off Krueger's short return to secure the victory."It was not the first time that we went on the deciding doubles together. We wanted to win so, so much," Hruncakova said after the match. "We gave everything we have. I just have no words right now."The day had started promisingly for the United States, with Townsend securing a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Renata Jamrichova. However, Danielle Collins was unable to follow suit, falling to Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 7-5. Sramkova's impressive performance, which included a 20 winners to 16 unforced errors ratio, proved too much for Collins.Townsend, who recently finished runner-up in doubles at the WTA Finals with Katerina Siniakova, was unable to inspire her team to victory. The United States, who last won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2017, will now have to wait another year for a chance to reclaim the trophy.