Tennis - Billie Jean King Cup Finals - Semi Final - Britain v Slovakia - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 19, 2024 Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova in action during her match against Britain's Katie Boulter REUTERS/Jon Nazca
MALAGA (Reuters) -Outsiders Slovakia reached the Billie Jean King Cup final as doubles pairing Tereza Mihalikova and Viktoria Hruncakova completed a stunning comeback victory in Malaga on Tuesday.
Emma Raducanu had given Britain the lead by beating Hruncakova in the opening singles but Rebecca Sramkova hit back for the Slovaks by upsetting Katie Boulter in three sets.
Mihalikova and Hruncakova then outclassed British pair Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls 6-2 6-2 to send Slovakia into Wednesday's final against Italy.
It is the first time Slovakia have reached the final of the women's team event since 2002 when they beat Spain and Matej Liptak's team have done it the hard way, defeating the United States, Australia and now Britain during a superb run in Malaga.
Hruncakova, ranked 238th in the WTA singles rankings, said she had never given up hope despite losing 6-4 6-4 to former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in the opening rubber.
"Emma played absolutely amazing, so I did not feel bad after the match, actually, and I was very hopeful that Rebecca could make a point for us and that we can play a deciding doubles," Hruncakova said on court as her team celebrated.
"And that happened. It was the best doubles of our lives."
For Britain it felt like a massive opportunity missed to win the competition for the first time and reach the final for the first time since losing to the United States in 1981.
After Raducanu fought off the hard-hitting Hruncakova to seal her third singles win on the spin, Britain's number one Boulter, who like Raducanu had not lost a set in the ties against Germany and Canada, seemed in control.
The world number 24 cruised the first set 6-2 but Sramkova then found another level to seize command of the second.
She led 4-1 and although Boulter clawed it back to 4-4, Sramkova kept her country in the hunt by taking it to a decider.
Sramkova carried the momentum into the third set to lead 3-1 but again Boulter fought back, cheered on by a sizeable British contingent in the small arena, to make it 3-3.
It was Sramkova who kept her nerve though and at 4-5 down, Boulter served a double fault to give her opponent match points and she then struck a ball tamely wide to end the contest.
Mihalikova and Hruncakova then took apart a disappointing British doubles duo to book Slovakia's place in Wednesday's showdown when they will again be big underdogs.
Italy will be led by world number four Jasmine Paolini who will also partner Sara Errani, with whom she won gold at the Paris Olympics, in the doubles.
"We are underdogs again but our confidence is growing," Liptak, in charge since 2009, said.
"It's a dream, I've been a captain for many years and this was my dream to play in the final."
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
