Resilient Raducanu overcomes pressure to leave Malaga undefeated

Emma Raducanu has been one of the shining stars of this year's Billie Jean King Cup Finals and earlier earned her third successive straight set victory to extend her win record at the tournament to 6-1.

All week, the British No.2 has managed to conjure up the big serves when she needed them most and her match against Slovakia's No.2 Viktoria Hruncakova was no different.

After breaking the 26-year-old on her opening service game of the match, Raducanu then faced pressure on her own serve but batted away three break points thanks to some rock-solid serving.

While her first serve percentage was lower today (60%) compared to the ties against Germany and Canada, the 2021 US Open champion stayed clinical in the high-pressure moments – staving off six of eight break points across the one hour 37-minute match.

While both breaks of serve came when Raducanu was serving for the set, her ability to re-set and compose herself under pressure was nothing short of impressive. Stepping up to serve out the match for a second time, Raducanu slammed down four straight first serves to close out victory and hand out a 1-0 lead for GB.

The 22-year-old arrived in Malaga having not played a match since mid-September but she'll return home with some incredible performances under her belt, that will act as a perfect launchpad heading into the 2025 season.

Sramkova continues to build momentum in Malaga

The drama well and truly heated up in Malaga after Rebecca Sramkova stunned British No.1 Katie Boulter in a three-set epic ending 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in favour of the Slovak to force a deciding doubles tie.

It was a tough ask for British No.1 Boulter who was facing off against one of the in-form players at this year’s Finals. Sramkova, who has been one of the tour’s most in-form players recently, entered the tie having won 19 of her last 23 matches and was set to pose a tricky challenge for Boulter.

After the Brit confidently took the opening set, she soon found herself on the back foot after Sramkova sparked alive to take the second. In levelling the scoreboard, Sramkova appeared to find a new lease of life as she worked through the gears to display some of the world class tennis that’s seen her defeat Danielle Collins and Ajla Tomljanovic so far this week.

Boulter’s opponents in Malaga have struggled to cope with her powerful serve on the hard courts, but Sramkova did a good job of nullifying the Brit’s serve in the latter stages of the match.

In the third set alone, the Slovakian won 50% of return points against the Brit’s first serve, and 58% against the second – proving a huge success in her breaking Boulter five times across the second and third sets to keep her country in the tie.

She’ll now enter the final against Italy with her confidence at an all-time high, knowing she’s undefeated in all matches so far this week.

Extra match time proved crucial in deciding doubles rubber

With everything to play for and a spot in the final on the line, we headed towards a deciding doubles rubber and it was the Slovakian pair who made the better start.

Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova came out the sharper duo, having had time to gel during their win over the USA’s Ashlyn Krueger and Taylor Townsend in their opening battle. Compare that with Olivia Nicholls and Heather Watson who were playing their first match of the week, and it was no surprise that the Slovak’s made a fast start as they raced to a double break lead in just 17 minutes.

While the British duo soon found their rhythm towards the end of the first set, the sturdy serving from their opponents soon saw the Slovaks edge ahead to a one set lead.

After the match Hruncakova said it was the 'best doubles they had ever played in their lives' and it showed in their quality through the big points in the second set.

The momentum swinging in their favour and some heavy hitting from Hruncakova and Mihalikova proved too much for the Brits to handle, as their title hopes were eventually put to an end in a 6-2, 6-2 defeat.

Team spirit pivotal to British semi-final run

GB’s campaign might have ended in the semi-finals but there are still plenty of positives to take away from this year’s Finals.

While we saw some spectacular on-court performances over the last few days, it’s safe to say the team camaraderie amongst Anne Keothavong’s team was undoubtedly a key driver to their superb run to the final four.

The Lexus GB team captain – who competed in 39 ties for her country as a player – has worked hard to instil a sense of togetherness during her seven-year tenure as a captain and now, it's clear to see the team spirit shining through.

“What’s important for me in this competition is that the girls find a way to gel and get on,” Keothavong said earlier in the week.

“It’s always been important for me as captain that we do our best, and shape things up to make sure that the girls do walk away with good experience and good memories.”