Billie Jean King Cup Finals: Three key takeaways from Great Britain’s victory over Germany
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Great Britain couldn’t have made a better start to their Billie Jean King Cup Finals campaign in Malaga, as they beat Germany 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals. We analyse and break down three key takeaways from their opening win.
Raducanu’s serve key to victory over Niemeier
Great Britain got their Billie Jean King Cup Finals campaign off to a flying start thanks to a show-stopping victory from Emma Raducanu.
Despite having not played a tour-level match since September, Emma Raducanu looked full of confidence in the opening rubber against Jule Niemeier, with her pinpoint serving proving a standout factor to her straight sets victory.
After securing the first break of the opening set, Raducanu quickly found herself in trouble on her own serve as the German threatened to bite straight back. However, the 2021 US Open champion dealt with the pressure perfectly – firing down strong first serves, including four aces, to save five break points and hold for 5-3.
Raducanu signed off a brilliant opening set with 65% of her serves un-returned by the world No.92 and won 72% of points on serve (23/32).
Even after being broken twice in the second set, including once when she was serving for the match, the British No.2. steadied the ship just in time to close out the win on her sixth match point and give the Brits’ a crucial lead.
Raducanu's impressive serving will be crucial for the Brits on Sunday if they are to overcome reigning champions and No.1 ranked team, Canada.
Boulter brings dominant tour-level form to Billie Jean King Cup stage
Katie Boulter has been building up the momentum on the WTA tour in recent months and today proved exactly why she’s a force to be reckoned with on the hard courts.
The British No.1 backed up a semi-final appearance at the Japan Open with a runner-up finish at the Hong Kong Open, placing her in perfect stead heading into the Finals in Malaga.
Representing her country in her 13th tie, Boulter came out all guns-blazing against Germany’s highest ranked player, Laura Siegemund. The world No.23 was broken on her opening service game but went on turn things around to take complete control of the opening set as she strung together a run of six games.
Since her astronomical rise up the WTA rankings, Boulter has become known for her aggressive brand of tennis and caused Siegemund struggled to find the answers in the second rubber. The Briton dominated in the return games – winning 93% of points off the German’s second serve (13/14) and converting five out of her seven break point opportunities across the match.
The Brit also caused her opponent plenty of trouble with her aggressive ball striking and was particularly dangerous off the forehand wing where she fired home nine of her 14 winners past Siegemund.
With Boulter in peak form and continuing to produce some sensational performances while wearing the British flag on her chest, she'll certainly be a dangerous weapon ahead of the quarter-finals.
The Brits receive confidence boost ahead of meeting with defending champions
Tonight’s victory now sees Great Britain set up a mouth-watering quarter-final meeting against reigning champions Canada on Sunday evening.
The Canadian team – led by Leylah Fernandez - received a first-round bye in the Finals and will be bidding to become the first nation to defend the title since the Czech Republic won three on the bounce between 2014-2016.
While everyone awaits the return of the defending champions, the Brits can not only take confidence from today’s win, but also their position in the WTA rankings in comparison to their Canadian counterparts.
Should Keothavong opt for the same singles combinations as today, Boulter – who is at a career-high of No.24 will be the highest ranked player in the tie, while Fernandez is just a few places behind her at No.31. Meanwhile, Raducanu is currently sitting at 58 in the world, and Rebecca Marino is Canada’s second highest ranked player at 103 – suggesting the Brits could be considered favourites entering the quarter-finals.
If today’s tie against Germany is anything to go by, the British team could also have the advantage of the crowd support. Despite the Finals taking place in Malaga, there was resounding British support inside the Palacio de Deported Jose Maria Martin Carpena and that didn’t go unnoticed by the team and captain Anne Keothavong.
“Honestly it feels like we are in Great Britain right now,” Boulter said in her post-match interview. “Our fans are awesome, you always get behind us in the good moments and the bad moments. You always get behind us. Thanks so much for coming here to Malaga it means so much to all of us players for sure so thank you."
Meanwhile, Keothavong added, “We know Canada are next. Obviously, we are going for the win, but we are ever so grateful to all the people who have travelled from the UK to support this team. What we really need is for everyone to come back again on Sunday and help us get through it.”
Great Britain will take on Canada on Sunday 17 November at 16:00 GMT.
