By Simon Briggs in Malaga and Sonia Twigg
Great Britain’s hopes of glory were snuffed out on Tuesday by the underdogs of this Billie Jean King Cup finals week, Slovakia, and their remarkable team leader Rebecca Sramkova.
The extraordinary thing about Sramkova is that, like the 1950s British champion Christine Truman, she was born with only one functioning eye. Yet that did not stop her from extending her record at these finals to three singles wins from three, as she came back from an early deficit to overcome Katie Boulter 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
That left Great Britain relying on their doubles pairing for the first time since their run began on Friday, and the fact that Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls had had no match practice may have been a factor in their 6-2, 6-2 defeat.
After the tie, British captain Anne Keothavong sounded almost inconsolable. “We’re all absolutely gutted,” she said. “We came into this event really believing that we had a good shot at it, and unfortunately we fell short. We came up against a better team. But it’s still pretty raw right now. It’s quite difficult to find the right words.”
This was a frustrating way for a promising campaign to end, especially after Emma Raducanu had continued her strong form by overcoming Slovakia’s second singles player, Viktoria Hruncakova, in straight sets. When Boulter started with equal self-assurance, Great Britain stood just one set away from their first Billie Jean King Cup final since 1981.
But Sramkova, who had been spraying errors early on, began to grow into the match. Maintaining a punishing rhythm off both wings, she was able to absorb Boulter’s power while outdoing her for mobility. Sramkova’s return game was also outstanding. It made no difference whether Boulter’s first serve landed or not, because the ball was coming back with interest, and the British No 1 was winning only 52 per cent of the points either way – an unusually low figure for such a route-one player.
Sramkova is on a huge roll, having brought her ranking down from No 136 in early September to No 43 now with a run of 20 wins from 24 matches, and this performance demonstrated why. She had already ambushed the top-ranked American player at this event, Danielle Collins, in last week’s opening round. By defeating Boulter, she completed the transatlantic double, and brought the deciding rubber into play.
“I came out firing on all cylinders,” Boulter said. “Then I played a couple of points where I struggled a little bit on serve, didn’t find my first serve, which was really important at the start of the second set, and she gained a bit of momentum, started to read my game a little bit. I fought with everything I had got on the day and unfortunately couldn’t get the job done.”
Watson and Nicholls had not been required in the competition previously, while the Slovakian pair of Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova had beaten the United States’ powerful doubles team of Taylor Townsend and Ashlyn Krueger in the opening round of the competition. The decider itself was markedly more subdued than the singles matches at the temporary arena in Malaga’s Palacio de Deportes, and it was Watson and Nicholls who were the ones to struggle.
At the start of the match they did not look sharp at all, rapidly slipping to 4-0 down in the opening set, and the Slovakians forged on from there to complete the upset. While the British team were clearly feeling the pain at their post-tie press conference, their outstanding player Raducanu did her best to focus on the positives. Despite being ranked as underdogs in every match until this one, they almost reached the semi-final on the back of victories over France (in Le Portel in April), Germany and defending champions Canada.
In the end, the smoothness of the latter two victories – in which they did not drop a set – may have left them unprepared for a tight battle like the one they succumbed to.
“I think we were right there,” said Raducanu, who scored comfortable wins over all three of her opponents in Malaga. “A few points kind of swung it in the second singles, but Boults has been playing great singles matches. We have been winning on singles the last two ties and didn’t even need a doubles. I think we definitely have a winning team. I think we can improve certain things, but overall, we did a really good job.”
05:21 PM GMT
Slovakia beat GB 2-1
After Raducanu started GB’s match so positively and Katie Boulter won the first set of her match against Rebecca Sramkova it has been all Slovakia. The doubles decider was so one-sided it must have been painful for the British fans in the crowd to watch. They were simply overpowered by quicker and more powerful players.
05:19 PM GMT
GB 2-6, 2-6 Slovakia*
Hruncakova holds up a hand in apology after her forehand clips the cord and spins crazily away from Watson at the net. An overhead winner at the net for Hruncakova puts Slovakia two points away. Watson’s backhand volley crashing into the net gives Slovaka two match points.
Nicholls saves the first with a skilful backhand volley winner. But not the secodn which ends with a serve-volley combo that knocks GB out.
05:14 PM GMT
GB* 2-6, 2-5 Slovakia
Now it’s Mihalikova’s turn to make a withering forehand pass down the line. Nicholls then double faults and it’s love-30.
Watson’s volley winner at the net gives them a fingerhold but Hruncakova then lobs them both to earn two break points.
Nicholls saves the first but not the second as she chips back the return to set up a winning smash from Mihalikova. That’s the double break of Nicholls for Slovakia and Mihalikova will serve for the match.
05:09 PM GMT
GB 2-6, 2-4 Slovakia*
Deft back hand volley from Nicholls fades away from Hruncakova down the line and Watson’s backhand volley at the net makes it 30-all.
Mihalikova tucks into Watson’s short lob and smashes a winner into Nicholls’ feet. Game point and Slovakia take it when Nicholls bends a backhand wide.
05:06 PM GMT
GB* 2-6, 2-3 Slovakia
Watson holds to love to keep their noses just about in it. Lots of consultations between Keothavong and Claire Curran over tactics. The main strategy here would entail throwing some punches from here, one would think. And put a cap on that unforced error count (15).
05:02 PM GMT
GB 2-6, 1-3 Slovakia*
Watson, who is playing the better of the pair, wins a couple of points on the Mihalikova serve with a backhand overhead followed by a spawny net cord fluke but she’ll take that.
Then Mihalikova misses the chance of a winner, failing to put a forehand away to give GB two break-back points. Watson chips a volley into the net to make it 30-40 and then Mihalikova aces to take it to deuce.
Nicholls spoons a forehand wide from the baseline and Slovakia hold.
04:57 PM GMT
GB* 2-6, 1-2 Slovakia
Hruncakova’s return-winner rifled down the line and wonderful crosscourt forehand on to Nicholls laces takes Slovakia to love-40 and they break to love when Nicholls goes pat-a-cake loopy again and sets up a blistering backhand winner.
This could be over soon.
04:53 PM GMT
GB 2-6, 1-1 Slovakia*
Hruncakova’s fast feet and serving guile propel Slovakia into a 40-love lead until Watson lamps a crosscourt winner. Nicholls lack of height and aggression is their undoing when she pats an overhead back over the net instead of smashing it and Hruncakova gobbles it up.
04:49 PM GMT
GB* 2-6, 1-0 Slovakia
Watson serves and fires the crowd into a blast of Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag when she volleys a winner to take it to 30-love. Mihalikova’s brilliant crosscourt return silences the British brass section, though, and soon it’s back on a knife edge at 30-all.
Mihalikova spurns a chance to cream a winner up the line as it swerves out. But her volley at the net makes amends. It’s deuce but Watson holds in this no advantage format with a fine serve that Hruncakova takes on but belts into the net cord and it loops out of bounds.
04:43 PM GMT
GB 2-6 Slovakia*
Some hesitation from Hruncakova at 15-all gives GB an opening but Slovakia recover strongly thanks to wide serves from Mihalikova to earn set point.
GB defend it with fast wrists and eyes in a volley rally at the net until Watson fires the winner. But Slovakia show their own prowess on the volley to seal the first set.
Far too strong and may one say aggressive than GB.
As it has done since Britain’s first match on Friday, the team have enjoyed a strong support with a drum and trumpet, and the doubles match is no different.
Although the temporary arena in Malaga’s Palacio de Deportes seems emptier than it has done for previous matches, that might have something to do with Rafael Nadal being in action in the main stadium across the road.
The British doubles pairing have struggled to get into the match so far, although it is worth remembering that their opponents have played in this competition, and won the decider against the USA.
04:38 PM GMT
GB* 2-5 Slovakia
Olivia Nicholls backs up Watson’s hold with one of her own which gives Keothavong good cheer as she kneels in front of them to gee them up and give them the belief that they can come back from this. Now to put a dent in Slovakia’s serve.
04:33 PM GMT
GB 1-5 Slovakia*
Hopes that it was just rust after a long week of inaction in terms of competitive tennis surface when Nicholls’ sharpness at the net makes it love-15 but then Hruncakova wins successive points with booming serves, not aces but unreturnable.
Nicholls makes a mistake at the net to give up a game point and then pulls a forehand wide.
04:29 PM GMT
GB* 1-4 Slovakia
Both Slovak players look stronger, more pace, more power, more precision. Watson’s serve is being brutalised until for once Hruncakova flays a return wide when looking for a paint-tickling winner. More grist to the GB mill when Mihalikova drags a return too long. Mihalikova does that again to give GB their first game point and Watson seals it with a wide serve that is returned beyond the baseline.
Emma Raducanu is one her feet encouraging her team-mates and Anne Keothavong tells the pair that it can be a turning point.
04:23 PM GMT
GB 0-4 Slovakia*
This is a rout so far. Hruncakova’s power at the net and speed of foot gobble up returns to fire a pair of winners and then Nicholls nets a return off Mihalikova’s second serve. They use the lob judiciously to push GB back but Watson snaps into action at the net to wrestle back a point. Hruncakova wraps up the hold to 15 with a volley off Watson’s return.
04:19 PM GMT
GB* 0-3 Slovakia
GB in trouble at love-30 after Nicholls is exposed by two low flat, bullet returns she can do nothing with by her toes. Then Watson nets a volley off a forehand hit down the line and it’s three break points.
Nicholls manages to force an error from Mihalikova at the net to save the rest and then they make a good call to leave a Hruncakova backhand and watch it sail long. But Hruncakova rifles a return back down the line to take the double-break lead.
04:14 PM GMT
GB 0-2 Slovakia*
Hruncakova starts positively on her serve, cutting off Nicholls’ ability to volley but Watson’s lovely backhand drop volley at the net and her ripping backhand crosscourt makes it 15-30.
Hruncakova’s big serve up the T sets up a smash for Mihalikova for 30-all and she does the same again to move to game point. Hruncakova then isolates Watson with a lob for a long rally until Watson hooks a forehand wide.
04:10 PM GMT
GB* 0-1 Slovakia
Outstanding first point from Slovakia ends with Mihalikova lobbing the retreating server, Watson, to move to love-15. But Hruncakova whips a forehand into the net to level it up before Nicholls does the same off the return to cede back the lead.
Watson’s wide serve sets up a volley winner for Nicholls but Watson then frames a backhand to yield a break point straightaway. Watson saves it with another wide serve that Hruncakova can’t get back over the net but Slovakia wrap up two forehand winners to seal the early break.
Slovakia break Watson’s serve.
04:00 PM GMT
Slovakia win the toss and opt to receive
Cue three minutes of knocking up.
03:58 PM GMT
The doubles are about to start
Rob Bagchi here for the denouement. And just to clarify it will be Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls for GB and Viktoria Hruncakova with Tereza Mihalikova not Rebecca Sramkova.
We are currently watching a light show on court as the team benches fill up.
Slovakia have played and won one doubles match, beating the US in the first round. GB have not needed to use their gun pair so far.
03:43 PM GMT
Sramkova passes eye test
Those were two stunning sets from Sramkova to snatch the rubber after she had started slowly. Like Christine Truman, the great British champion of the 1950s, she was born with only one functioning eye. And yet she found a real zone with her baseline game, absorbing Boulter’s power while outdoing her for mobility.
Sramkova’s return game was also outstanding. It made no difference whether the first serve landed or not, because the ball was coming back with interest, and Boulter was winning only 52 per cent of the points either way – an unusually low figure for such a route-one player.
Sramkova is on a huge roll, having brought her ranking down from No136 in early September to No43 now with a run of 20 wins from 24 matches, and this performance demonstrated why.
So Great Britain will have to go to the doubles for the first time, with a lot of pressure riding on them. Unless there’s a late change of nomination, it will be Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls against Sramkova and Teresa Mihalikova. Just to add an intriguing wrinkle to this deciding rubber, Nicholls has been playing with Mihalikova on the tour since the start of the grass-court season.
03:27 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2, 4-6, 4-6 Sramkova
Massive ace down the T from Boulter to kick off the game.
Sramkova’s return creeps over the net and surprises Boulter, who nets.
This time Sramkova’s angled return is brilliant and Boulter fires it into the net for 15-30. Pressure serve.
And it’s a double-fault to hand Sramkova two match points. Oh Katie!
She saves the first one with a bold serve and a well-worked series of set-up shots that tee up a forehand finish.
Another long rally and Sramkova takes it, luring Boulter into an attempted passing shot down the line which can only find the tramlines.
Brilliant fightback from Sramkova though.
So now, at last, we get to see the doubles girls in action.
Follow it all with Rob Bagchi from 4pm.
Great Britain 1-1 Slovakia
03:21 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 4-6, 4-5 Sramkova*
A massive point for Boulter as she is called upon to play an array of defensive shots, sliding some backhand sliced shots and some angled approaches. She finishes with a classy, nerveless passing shot.
Another breathless point follows but this time Sramkova takes it after forcing Boulter wide on both sides of the court. She’s had to do a lot of running there and is clearly shattered. Clever play by Sramkova, trying to tire her out.
Sramkova sends down another ace but Boulter takes the next point with a marvellous return.
The heat is on and another long rally concludes with Slovakia taking the point with a brilliant crosscourt backhand.
And now she blasts down a big serve to take a big game and leave Boulter to serve to stay in the match.
The quality of this match is off the scale right now.
03:15 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2, 4-6, 4-4 Sramkova
A booking first serve helps her to a welcome first point, but, alas, a double-fault ensues.
The Briton has struggled with her serve in this match, unlike her opponent, and that could be the difference in the end.
This time she finds one and Sramkova can’t keep it in.
But at 30-15 she sends a regulation backhand into the net to put the pressure back on herself.
The next serve is wide and mercifully Sramkova nets for a change.
That was a brave point from Boulter who hit the line with her second serve and only just cleared the net with her next two approaches. This time Sramkova blinks first and sends her backhand wide to hand Boulter the game.
03:11 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 4-6, 3-4 Sramkova*
The match is getting increasingly tense now as we approach the business end and Sramkova is not going away easily.
She loses the first point but takes the next two with two brilliant serves, the first down the T, the second out wide.
A crosscourt pass brings up 40-15 as Sramkova continues to put her foot to the metal.
And Boulter, perhaps feeling the pressure, batters an errant forehand well wide.
The momentum is very much with Slovakia at present. Boulter is being out-thought by an aggressive player on top of her game.
But she can do this. Just needs to hold her nerve. And her serve.
03:07 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2, 4-6, 3-3 Sramkova
Boulter sends down a big serve and then dispatches the return with a booming forehand.
Sramkova is returning well and she gets another one back at Boulter but then nets as Boulter tests her backhand with another powerful stroke.
Sramkova returns again and Boulter can’t keep the ball in play, but another lengthy rally concludes with Sramkova sending a forehand wide.
Brilliant hitting from Sramkova, who pounds her return at Boulter and then races on to the ball to finish off a drive volley in the way Boulter couldn’t a couple of games ago.
The pressure is on Boulter, but she conjures an outrageous passing shot down the line from the baseline. How did she even do that? Shot of the match so far. Great hold.
03:02 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 4-6, 2-3 Sramkova*
Boulter is digging deep and takes the first two points with two fabulous returns.
She carves out a well-constructed point to go love-40 up and then misses a regulation forehand that would have given her the game, sending it too long.
In the next rally Boulter declines the chance to hit a drive volley, possibly because what happened with her last one, and a tentative shot gives Sramkova the chance to take the initiative, which she does with a glorious pass.
That’s too chances passed up. Can Boulter take the final break point?
Yes! A dramatic rally concludes with a wonderful forehand into the corner.
Great Britain break serve.
02:56 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2, 4-6, 1-3 Sramkova
Boulter takes Sramkova wide with her first serve but it’s a brilliant return from the Slovak and Boulter puts her return long.
The second point is a copy of the first and at 30-0 Boulter has a regulation drive volley to put away and she lamps it out of court. She’s unravelling a bit here.
That’s a sensational passing shot from Sramkova. Boulter batters a forehand into the corner which looks like a winner but Sramkova is on to it in a flash and send a passing shot down the line to break the Briton.
Slovakia break serve.
02:53 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 4-6, 1-2 Sramkova*
Stramkova hits her seventh ace, then forces an error from Boulter, and then htis a rapid forehand which she follows to the net and finishes with a smart volley.
She takes the game to love with a big serve and the Slovak is definitely taking control of this match.
Boulter looks a little bit lost – as though her powers are being taken away from her by a wilier adversary.
02:50 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 4-6, 1-1 Sramkova*
Boulter has been struggling with her first serve but that’s two absolute rockets to move 30-15 ahead.
That was the rally of the match, Sramkova chopping up the variety of her shots to force Boulter into moving back and forth and deny her the chance to ramp up her power.
Boulter goes for a big forehand and it’s just long.
Sramkova hasn’t made many errors but she makes one there, going long to take the pressure off Boulter slightly.
Another fraught rally ensues with Sramkova bringing the best out of Boulter, who races to the net to hit a drop shot her opponent can’t reach. A frantic point, that one, but a crucial hold.
02:45 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 4-6, 0-1 Sramkova*
Boulter starts the game with a blistering return but Sramkova is a hardy character who has upped her serving game.
Bar one unforced error that’s an imposing performance from the Slovak, who is changing up the pace of her shots and forcing Boulter on to her weaker backhand.
She takes the game with a fierce forehand after a well-worked point. She has now won three games in a row.
02:40 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2, 4-6 Sramkova
Sramkova works Boulter wide before melting a forehand a hair wide.
Two unforced errors from Boulter, on the forehand side uncharacteristically, put her under the pump.
The last of those, a tentative volley at the net, should have been despatched.
At 15-30 Sramkova goes deeper and higher with her groundstrokes and launches a sustained attack on the Boulter backhand.
The tactic works as Boulter nets.
She has two break points to save the set. The first is saved with a big serve, but she can’t salvage the second as an inspired Sramkova forces her wide on her backhand before passing on the forehand side.
Slovakia win second set.
02:35 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 4-5 Sramkova*
Sramkova takes the game to love with some better serving and a series of varied groundstrokes, deploying backspin, and differing serves that kerp Boulter guessing.
She held her nerve, steadied the ship and then decided the game with a delicious drop shot.
02:31 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2, 4-4 Sramkova
Exquisite volley from Boulter, who set up that first point win with a wide serve and a deep crosscourt forehand shot that enabled her to come to the net and take control.
A double-fault halts all that good work, as does an attempted forehand down the line from a whipped return which leaks just wide.
Boulter works a wonderful point in her favour with some more deep groundstrokes and a long-awaited good first serve gives her game point.
Sramkova goes long after some more powerful hitting from the Briton, who has wrested the game back to parity, and taken the momentum away from the Slovakian No 1.
02:26 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 3-4 Sramkova*
A good return from Boulter has Sramkova on the back foot and she mishits a deep approach shot to hand Boulter love-15.
Boulter continues to toy with the baselines as she commits to a salvo of deep groundstrokes that bring up another mistahe from her opponent.
A big return and suddenly there are break points up for grabs, three of them.
Another aggressive return hits the baseline and Sramkova, forced back, can only steer her response long.
That was brilliant, aggressive tennis from Stramkova, which could be a momentum-changer.
Great Britain break serve.
02:22 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2, 2-4 Sramkova
How can Boulter respond to the shift in momentum which has Sramkova very much in the ascendancy?
Two big serves certainly help, the second an ace that brings up 30-love.
Sramkova hits a brilliant return to a slower second serve and Boulter can’t get it back out of her feet.
Deep hitting from Boulter results in Sramkova netting, and Boulter, on her second serve, is relieved to watch Sramkova’s serve float long.
02:18 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 1-4 Sramkova*
Boulter produces a booming forehand return to take the first point but then goes long on her backhand side.
A cruel mishit from Boulter has Sramkova haring to the net but the angle is too tight to get the fortuitous drop shot back in play, Boulter apologises.
Sramkova is unfazed and takes the next two points with two angled cunning serves.
Boulter brings up deuce after an engaging rally in which she opened the point up with an inside-oot forehand and delightful pass.
But Sramkova is a gutsy competitor and she takes the next two points with a relentless display of hitting crsscourt to the boulter backhand, which fails the Briton, giving Slovakia the game.
Credit to Sramkova, who is playing with great tenacity and tactical acumen.
02:12 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2, 1-3 Sramkova
Sramkova hits a good return to go love-15 up but then goes long with a forehand.
A brilliant return is battered down the line by the British No1 but she misses by a whisker.
She regains a foothold in the match with another thunderous forehand, but goes long in the next point to concede another break point to Slovakia.
What a bad time to double-fault!
Slovakia break serve.
02:07 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 1-2 Sramkova*
Sramkova narrowly misses an attempted ace and Boulter creams her second serve to earn love-15.
Undaunted Sramkova goes for it again, three times, reeling off a hat-trick of aces for a 40-15 lead.
The tactic doesn’t work next time, though, as she double-faults and Boulter wins the next point with a glorious needle-threading pass down the line to earn deuce. What a shot that was!
Sramkova goes long and all of a sudden is staring down the barrel of a break-point.
Boulter hits a fierce return and then races to the net. Sramkova attempts the lob but it’s not high enough and Boulter puts it away at the net to break her opponent, who had the wind in her sails at 40-15 after three successive aces, but must be smarting after that fightback.
Great battling from Boulter.
Great Britain break serve.
02:02 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2, 0-2 Sramkova
Boulter booms down to big serves and attacks the returns on the forehand side in what is becoming are staple Boulter moves.
But she loses the next two points and then goes log at 30-all to hand Sramkova a break.
A massive serve is too hot for Sramkova, but Boulter gets too ambitious with her next attempted forehand winner, which she sends into the tramlines and Sramkova takes the break after anticiapting the wide Boulter serve and forcing her on ton the backfoot. She wins the point with a lovely backhand winner.
Slovakia break serve.
01:56 PM GMT
Boulter 6-2, 0-1 Sramkova*
Sramkova needs to find a way to neuter the Boulter forehand which is wreaking havoc in this match.
She comes out firing in the first game of the second set and has Boulter on the back foot, unleashing two forehand winners and forcing Boulter to net for 40-0.
She takes the game to love with an emphatic serve which will make her feel better about herself.
01:52 PM GMT
Boulter* 6-2 Sramkova
Boulter is serving for the first set and she wins the first point as Sramkova nets her return on the forehand side.
That’s a brilliantly worked point by Boulter, who is wielding her powerful forehand with great authority.
She keeps Sramkova pegged back with some deep, hard shots and then places a wonderful forehand beyond the struggling Slovak.
A rare miss from Boulter hands a point back but Sramkova can only net Boulter’s next towering serve, and she is facing two game points.
Boulter misses on her backhand side what would have been a set-winner, but she has another shot at it.
Perhaps the longest rally of the match results in Boulter netting a regulation backhand. This set is not done yet.
Boulter delivers a wide serve, followed by a forehand down the line and Sramkova then nets a simple shot, hainf Boulter another break.
Boulter serves her first ace of the match to take the first set.
A commanding display by Boulter, who has negated her opponent’s strengths, and hit 11 forehand winners, to Sramkova’s four.
Great Britain win first set.
01:44 PM GMT
Boulter 5-2 Sramkova*
A body serve from Sramkova earns her first point but she attempts a crosscourt backhand pass in the next point is is narrowly off target.
Sramkova is punished for missing her first serve as Boulter leans into a forehand which she pastes past her opponent, who then goes long after another big return from Boulter. Break point for Great Britain.
Slovakia rally with a big serve to save the first break point.
Sramkova is targeting the Boulter backhand but the British No 1 stays patient with some cutting backhand slice shots to stay n the point. Sramklova then loses patience and sends a forehand long.
Great Britain break serve.
01:40 PM GMT
Boulter* 4-2 Sramkova
Sramkova absolutely laces a return and Boulter can only steer it wide.
She responds with a big serve, though, to draw 15-all.
Good shot variety by Boulter on her forehand side has Sramkova on her defences and the Briton passes her with a fine backhand.
More big hitting from the baseline moves the Slovak wide and her attempted pass down the line finds the tramlines.
Boulter holds as Sramkova goes long with her return.
01:35 PM GMT
Boulter 3-2 Sramkova*
You have to live in the moment as a tennis player, forgetting the frustrations of previous mistakes and focusing on the here and now.
Sramkova does just that by serving well to move 40-15 up and Boulter can only net the final serve of the game to give Slovakia an easy hold.
01:33 PM GMT
Boulter* 3-1 Sramkova
A splendid salvo of forehands earns Boulter 15-love, but after a long rally it’s she who blinks first, firing into the net as she tried to change the angle of her approach shot.
A beautifully constructed point for Sramkova as she takes Boulter off court with an angled forehand before burying the next shot across the open court.
Both players are demonstrating some fine groundstokes but Boulter works her way to 30-all with clevelry contructed point that enabled her to step into that lethal forehand of hers.
But Sramkova forces a break point as Boulter gets eager on finishing the point early.
Sramkova can’t take advantage though, sending a backhand long ans then caught out b a clever drop shot from Boulter.
The array of shots on display in this match are something to behold, but Boulter’s next serve isn;t and she misses wildly with her second serve to hand another break point ot her opponent.
But Boulter gathers herself, delivering a big serve wide and a tidy forehand into the opposite corner of her stranded opponent’s court.
She holds serve with a booming first serve.
01:24 PM GMT
Boulter 2-1 Sramkova*
The servers are struggling here. Sramkova finds herself 15-30 down after a double-fault and then splays a forehand into the tramlines after struggling with her footwork.
A scorching forehand return gives Boulter another break of serve. Initiative back with great Britain.
Great Britain break serve.
01:21 PM GMT
Boulter* 1-1 Sramkova
Boulter forces Sramkova wide with her first serve and buries her return into the open court to take the first point.
She then blots her copy book with a double-fault, and a forehand, which should have been a backhand, into the net.
This time she goes with the backhand which she attempts to strike across court but can only net and now she is facing two break-points.
A brilliant angled return from the wide serve from Sramkova earns a break of serve. Touche.
Slovakia break serve.
01:17 PM GMT
Boulter 1-0 Sramkova*
Sramkova finds herself love-40 down in no time as Boulter creams two forehand returns and the Slovak nets in the first point.
Sramkova switches up her serve byu serving into Boulter’s hip and then hitting an ace down the T.
But the Sramkova misses a regulation forehand, hitting it long, and Team GB have an immediate foothold in the match.
Great Britain break serve.
01:14 PM GMT
Sramkova to serve first
Great Britain are now in the box seat. If Katie Boulter wins this her team will be in their first final since 1981.
As we know, though, Rebecca Sramkova will be a testing opponent. She has been brilliant in Malaga so far this week.
How will she cope with Boulter’s power? Let’s find out.
01:10 PM GMT
Ruthless Raducanu
Another ruthless performance from Raducanu, who controlled the match well with her first serve. She was up against an opponent who compensates for lumbering movement with a massive ball-strike, particularly on the forehand side, and she handled that equation well by moving the ball around into awkward positions.
Despite handing over a break towards the end of each set, Raducanu’s overall serving this week has been so good that she has held 26 times out of 29 over her three matches – a statistic more characteristic of the men’s game, where the serve is more dominant.
After Friday’s opening victory over Jule Niemeier, Raducanu explained that she had tweaked her service action again, settling into a halfway house between her original elongated take-back, and the abbreviated Andy Roddick-style action she was using during the summer.
We have seen pros and cons to this latest change. On the upside, Raducanu is doing more damage on her first serve, with an impressive tally of 23 aces across three matches. But her second serve has been a liability, with only 78 per cent finding the box, and 19 double-faults resulting.
She will no doubt be working with her coach Nick Cavaday to add extra top-spin and feel to this shot. Once that has been addressed, Raducanu should become even more difficult to break.
12:54 PM GMT
Raducanu* 6-4, 6-4 Hruncakova
Raducanu is again serving for the match. Can she hold her nerve?
Hruncakova hits a meaty return into her body and Raducanu can only net for love-15.
Another good return from the Slovakian but Raducanu moves her feet, and wraps her racket head around a glorious crosscourt forehand to salvage 15-all.
She takes the next point with a big serve for 30-15, and an uncharacteristically cagey two shots from Hruncakova are followed by a sprayed forehand into the tramlines.
Raducanu picks her moment to deliver another unreturnable serve and that is a brilliant win for Raducanu.
Rose to the occasion when the pressure was on and showed enormous depths of resolve when her team needed it.
Great Britain take 1-0 lead
12:49 PM GMT
Raducanu 6-4, 5-4 Hruncakova*
Hruncakova is putting all of her heft into some enormous serves now and she powers her way to 30-0.
Raducanu responds with a good return, though. She can’t afford to let her opponent back into this match.
But Hruncakova is cranking up the pace and power of her groundstrokes and another forehand winner brings up 40-15.
She then torpedoes another serve on to Raducanu’s forehand side and the Briton is unable to block it back. A confident hold by Slovakia, who have the momentum at the moment.
12:45 PM GMT
Raducanu* 6-4, 5-3 Hruncakova
Raducanu sets up a good chance to go 15-love up with another booming, wide serve but she sends the return long with her opponent out of the point.
Hruncakova is going for broke now, going for it with a big return and then a piercing crosscourt winner for love-30.
Next up she works Raducanu wide and blisters an unstoppable winner off her backhand into the corner to put Raducanu in deep trouble.
Raducanu responds with a big serve and another ace, but she needs to save another break point here.
And she can’t do it, forced on to the back foot after a slow second serve, and then punished for three short approach shots which are an invitation for Hruncakova to melt another winner – which she does.
Slovakia break serve.
12:40 PM GMT
Raducanu 6-4, 5-2 Hruncakova*
Raducanu hits a big return to earn 15-0 and then hits the shot of th match so far.
A drive volley from Hruncakova looks like a winner but the Briton fires it crosscourt, back at where her opponent is standing, yet she can’t get to it as it lands in the corner of the court – beaten for pace and power.
Hruncakova hits a big serve to stay in the game but another good return brings up break point.
She returns well again and Hruncakova can only send the ball long to give up the game.
Raducanu is raising the level here.
Great Britain break serve.
12:36 PM GMT
Raducanu* 6-4, 4-2 Hruncakova
Raducanu follows a fifth double fault with another ace yet again.
She then sends Hruncakova’s return back to the direction she was coming from and she can barely pick the ball off the floor.
But Hruncakova forced Raducanu off balance with a superb backhand which the Briton attempts to reach with one of her trademark off the kne baseball shots. But she nets for 30-all.
A meaty return by Hruncakova would be a winner against most opponents buyt Raducanu is moving like a panther and she returns the return with interest and a suprised Hruncakova can only net.
But that double-fault is haunting Raducanu again – No 6 brings up deuce.
Hruncakova finds another good return but Raducanu again stays in the point before dispatching a wonderful passing shot down the line – one of those that look like it’s going out but then bends back into play at the last second.
Hruncakova returns well again, though, and Raducanu nets to bring up deuce, but she responds with another towering serve in what is becoming an attritional game.
Raducanu is showing real mentla strength here, coming through some nerve-shredding points, and here she powers down another good serve which Hruncakova sends nito the tramlines. Great hold?
12:28 PM GMT
Raducanu 6-4, 3-2 Hruncakova*
A brilliant return earns love-15 and then another block return forces Hruncakova into a rash shot to cede another point.
Hruncakova responds with a big serve but Raducanu takes the next with an intelligent point.
A backhand sliding sliced shot forces Hruncakova wide and low and she nets.
Raducanu returns well again on break-point and Hruncakova misses her attempted winner.
Brilliant defensive tennis there from Raducanu.
Great Britain break serve.
12:24 PM GMT
Raducanu* 6-4, 2-2 Hruncakova
Raducanu wins the first point with a good serve Hruncakova can only put wide, but she then nets with a simple put-away.
The next point produces an extended rally but Raducanu is punished for hitting her approach too short and Hruncakova takes advantage to win the point.
The rallies are getting longer now and Raducanu is being tested, but she takes a well-worked point with two deep approaches and fizzing forehand.
Back-to-back aces (she now has six) and that’s the game. Brilliant response to pressure from Great Britain.
12:20 PM GMT
Raducanu 6-4, 1-2 Hruncakova*
Raducanu middles a return but it’s just long but she is gifted another point by another horror miss from Hruncakova, who again had her scampering all over the court. With an open court before her she again underhits straight into the net with Raducanu effectively out of the point.
Hruncakova takes out her ire with a meaty serve to win the next point, Raducanu then finds a glorious passing return down the line to put the pressure on her opponent’s serve, but Hruncakova is a hardy competitor. She hits two deep approach shots and Raducanu nets to give Slovakia the game.
12:15 PM GMT
Raducanu 6-4, 1-1 Hruncakova*
Raducano barrels down another ace and then switches it up with two body serves that tie Hruncakova up in knots to bring up 40-love.
A frustrated Hruncakova makes an unforced error and it’s a straightforward game there for Great Britain.
12:12 PM GMT
Raducanu 6-4, 0-1 Hruncakova*
Hruncakova improved as that first set wore on and might have made life more difficult for Raducanu had she not made a couple of clutch-point errors.
She is looking to take that wave of confidence into the first set and starts off with two good serves to go 30-love up.
Her first ace brings up 40-15 and a brilliant wide serve gives her a platform to build on in a second set which could be a tight one.
12:08 PM GMT
Raducanu* 6-4 Hruncakova
Hruncakova gives away a cheap point there as Raducanu hits it short and her opponent can’t sort her feet out.
A booming serve, accompanied by a groan of pent-up frustration gives her 30-love and Hruncakova is then undone by another wide serve on her backhand side.
A great return by Hruncakova has Raducanu on the defence and the Slovakian powers a forehand winner to give Raducanu food for thought.
But Hruncakova nets her next return and Raducanu rides out the threat of a first-set fightback.
Great Britain win first set.
12:03 PM GMT
Raducanu 5-4 Hruncakova*
Hruncakova has rediscovered her confidence, and her serve, and she powers two past Raducanu to go 30-love up.
She is all set for 40-love after sending Raducanu left and right and seemingly out of the point, but somehow Raducanu gets her angled shot back into play and with the open court at her mercy Hruncakova nets!
Hruncakova gathers herself, though, with two more good serves, and she holds.
The pressure now is on Raducanu, who was seemingly in control but has allowed Hruncakova into the match.
11:59 AM GMT
Raducanu* 5-3 Hruncakova
Raducanu, serving for the first set, starts with her third double-fault of the match.
But answers that with a third ace. For every ying, a yang.
Clinical play from Raducanu brings up 30-15, chasing a low return to guide it in the space her opponent had just vacated.
Hruncakova stays in the game and forces Raducanu on to her heels with some more deep forehands before whipping an angled winner past the Briton.
A big serve from Great Britain brings up set-point, but that’s a wonderful winner from Hruncakova, who worked the opportunity with two deep backhands before creaming a crosscourt forehand for deuce.
And now she has break point after Raducanu hits the top of the net to give Hruncakova tome to advance and bury a forehand winner.
Raducanu survives with another good serve after her ace was ruled out by a let-call.
And a spectacular crosscourt return by Hruncakova gives her another look at a service break.
She’s swinging at the ball now as players often do when they are in a nothing-to-lose situation.
Raducanu double-faults and Hruncakova has her first break.
Slovakia break serve.
11:49 AM GMT
Raducanu 5-2 Hruncakova*
Hruncakova goes 15-love up with a big serve but then hits the top of the net with another forehand, with Raducanu on the back foot for a change.
Another big serve helps her to 30-15 and she is a fraction away from an ace for what would have been 40-15.
But she gets it with a delightful, long-awaited backhand winner after a rare long rally full of a variety of shots from both players.
A double-fault piles the pressure on Slovakia again, and she’s really struggling to get her first serve in.
But, as Raducanu tries to punish her second serve and follow up on it by advancing to the net Hruncakova blisters a backhand to the feet of the Briton, who can only send it wide.
11:44 AM GMT
Raducanu 5-1 Hruncakova*
Raducanu is in the groove now. Serving big and moving well when her opponent is able to make her returns.
One booming forehand and two delightful backhands bring up 40-0. And a second ace wraps up a fifth game.
Great Britain are on the front foot and Hruncakova has yet to beat Raducanu with a single winner.
11:40 AM GMT
Raducanu 4-1 Hruncakova*
Hruncakova is going very deep with her shots, sometimes too deep. She appears to be rushing her swing and that is giving up free points to her opponent.
Suddenly it’s love-40 and Raducanu has the look of a lion ready to pounce on her prey. She does just that with a blistering forehand return that Hruncakova can’t get back.
Great Britain break serve again.
11:37 AM GMT
Raducanu 3-1 Hruncakova*
Two fantastic passing shots from Raducanu, the first a well-timed backhand, the second a top-spin forehand punish Hruncakova for having the temerity to approach the net.
Hruncakova nets her suspect-looking backhand from Raducanu’s next serve and Slovaakia have no answer to another wide serve on the backhand side by Raducanu.
11:33 AM GMT
Raducanu 2-1 Hruncakova*
Hruncakova double-faults but then hits a booming serve that Raducanu can only just touch with her racket head.
A blistering low return from Raducanu gives her 15-30 in match very short on rallies so far.
Raducanu nets again with a forehand which isn’t quite firing yet, and she can’t deal with the next serve which is a howitzer from Hruncakova.
Raducanu tried to melt another forehand but finds the top of the net and Slovakia have their first game of the match.
11:30 AM GMT
Raducanu* 2-0 Hruncakova
Raducanu sets up the chance to kill a winner with some lovely deep forehands but she nets a straightforward chance for a winner for love-15. She then repeats the same disappointing shot for love-30.
A better sliced serve sends Hruncakova out of court and she can only just get her racket to it.
Raducanu looks like she’s targeting the Hruncakova backhand even on the serve, but now she’s double-faulted to give Slovakia to break-back points.
Hruncakova tried to hammer Raducanu’s second serve but blazes it well wide for 30-40, and she can’t deal with the power of a good first serve down the middle from Great Britain. And it’s deuce.
And there’s the first ace of the day for Advantage. Raducanu has made some tweaks to her serve and they have really been in evidence in Malaga.
This time, though, Hruncakova hits a solid return and Raducanu is back to deuce.
Commentator’s curse. That’s another double-fault for another break point. Sorry!
Glorious forehand from Raducanu there, who opened up the forehand with her approach and then hit a blistering shot which veered away from her opponent.
She then sets up Advantage by wrong-footing Hruncakova, who is of heavy build and already sweating profusely.
Hruncakova hits another brilliant return which skids off the baseline to force another deuce.
Another brilliant point from Raducanu who was on the stretch for much of that point but she managed to hit an angled approach which opened the court to enable her to hit a backhand winner. Smart tennis there.
Hruncakova’s return is long and after resisitng three break-points, Raducanu comes through to go 2-0 up. Great grit there from Grea Britian.
11:19 AM GMT
Raducanu 1-0 Hruncakova*
Hruncakova misses her first serve and Raducanu tries to cream her slow second, but fires it into the tramlines.
Raducanu goes 30-15 up with a wonderful dipping passing shot on the backhand side which Hruncakova can only net.
Hruncakova is leaking her backhand and slaps another one into the net for 15-40.
And a brutal angled return from Raducabu gives her the game. Not a very confident start from a nervous-looking Slovakia. First blood to Team GB.
Great Britain break serve.
11:10 AM GMT
Game faces on
The crowd are up and the music pumps as the players enter the arena. They line up on court to sing their national anthems, which it must be said, are not exactly delivered with Gianluigi Buffon-style gusto – but then again these are tennis players not opera singers. The Slovakians, meanwhile, aren’t singing at all. Maybe it’s one of those anthems with no words. The players are stony-faced, steely-eyed; their minds clearly on the job in hand. The serious business is about to begin.
Interestingly, Raducanu has chosen to receive serve first, perhaps thinking she can pile pressure on the Hruncakova serve.
Hruncakova is 238 in the world but she spends most of her time playing, and wining, doubles matches. She is a former world No 43 so not to be taken lightly.
10:59 AM GMT
Great Britain united
Great Britain are looking to go one better than two years ago, when they lost 2-1 to Australia in Glasgow. It’s a mark of how far British women’s tennis has come that they hadn’t previously reached the last four since 1981. Back in those days it was called the Federation Cup and Sue Barker, Virginia Wade and Jo Durie were the finalists, who were whitewashed 3-0 by a USA team comprised of Chris Evert Lloyd, Andrea Jaeger, Kathy Jordan and Rosie Casals.
Two years ago Raducanu and Boulter both played and they will be determined to go one better this time around. Anne Keothavong appears to have forged a great team spirit within the camp, which was probably helped by the downpours in Spain which forced the team to stay in their hotel. There they celebrates Raducanu’s 22nd birthday with chocolate cake and balloons and the bonding off the court appears to have translated into superb performances on it.
10:32 AM GMT
Dark arts or just Italian cheek?
Talking of Italy, they use all of their tactical nous to come though 2-1 against Poland in their semi-final yesterday.
It went down to the wire in the doubles, and they prevailed 7-5, 7-5 but not without a moment of controversy.
Sara Errani decided to serve underarm in the final point to catch the Poles off guard – and the tactic worked.
But was this acceptable? Of course, there’s nothing against serving underarm in the rule book, we’ve all done it (or is that just me..?) but some might say, it’s not quite in keeping with the spirit of the game.
Either way, it worked. So something to watch out for tomorrow, if Great Britain make it that far.
09:57 AM GMT
It’s semi-final time
Good morning all. And welcome to live coverage of the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals, where Great Britain take on Slovakia for a place in their first final for 43 years.
Neutrals might assume this should be a comfortable enough assignment for Katie Boulter an Emma Raducanu, who have looked brilliant in their two appearances in Malaga to date, beating both Germany and Canada 2-0, but Slovakia have been impressive themselves, knocking out USA and then Australia to reach the last four.
Rebecca Sramkova is ranked 43 in the world, higher than Radacanu, the No 58, and lost only three games when dispatching Ajla Tomjlanovic in the quarter-finals. She also has pedigree in this competition, having beaten Heather Watson in the qualifiers three years ago. Sramkova will take on Boulter, the British No 1, in the second match.
The first semi pits Viktoria Hruncakova against Raducanu. On paper the 2021 US Open winner should have too much for the World No 238, but Hruncakova held her nerve to beat Kimberley Birrel 2-1 in the last round and played a crucial role in the doubles decider, when edging out the Americans 2-1 with a 10-8 final-set win alongside Tereza Mihalikova.
Great Britain have been formidable so far with Raducanu looking like a player reborn after returning from her ‘zen’ five-week injury lay-off in China. In her last match she smashed Canada’s Rebecca Marino 6-0 in the first set before showing the heart of a lion to come through the second 6-4 after Marino found her feet and her serve and came out swinging.
Boulter, meanwhile, has demonstrated why she is now the world No 24, outclassing Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-4 with a devastating display of powerful hitting.
In the words of her captain Anne Keothavong: “She was absolutely crunching the ball.”
Let’s hope we see more of that girl power today. If we do, a mouthwatering final against Italy awaits tomorrow.
