Emma Raducanu won her first professional match on clay 7-5 7-5 against Tereza Martincova in the second rubber of the day in Prague; Harriet Dart fell to Marketa Vondrousova in the opening rubber
Saturday 16 April 2022 07:41, UK
Emma Raducanu has made a winning start to her Billie Jean King Cup career and won her first professional match on clay with a 7-5 7-5 victory over Czech Republic's Tereza Martincova.
Raducanu's victory ensured Britain ended the first day of play level at 1-1 at the Cesky club in Prague, following Harriet Dart's earlier 6-1 6-0 defeat to Marketa Vondrousova.
The 19-year-old British No 1 had not played a match on clay since the French Open Juniors in 2018, but rose to the challenge impressively.
Raducanu had to show all her battling qualities, saving a set point at 4-5 in the opening set and then fighting back from 1-4 down in the second to give Anne Keothavong's team hope.
"This one means so much to me," Raducanu said on-court after her victory.
"It's my first Billie Jean King Cup match and to represent my team on a clay court, in my first professional match on clay, it's really amazing.
"We're still in this, we're still in this battle and it's all to play for tomorrow."
The pressure was on Raducanu after Dart's 55-minute thrashing by Vondrousova.
The teenager learned as she went on the surface, saving a set point after dropping serve in the eighth game and taking the first set with a run of three straight games.
Raducanu dipped at the start of the season set, admitting herself that she went a little 'flat'. The result was her going two breaks down at 0-3 and 1-4 in blustery conditions.
But Martincova was clearly feeling the occasion and Raducanu demonstrated her battling spirit once again to fight back, winning six of the last seven games.
"The team had my back 100 per cent, as we had Harriet's back this morning," Raducanu said. "It's amazing to be in a team competition when everything is so individual in this sport.
"I'm really cherishing the memories I'm gaining this week."
A productive start on clay should provide a boost for the British No 1 - it is just the third win she has managed this season and Martincova is the highest-ranked player she has beaten since her semi-final victory over Maria Sakkari at the US Open.
It was also a crucial win for Britain if they are to cause a huge upset and defeat the perennial champions to book a place in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November.
The winners of the Qualifiers will advance to the Finals, while the losers will go into Play-Offs for the 2023 Qualifiers.
Earlier in the day on Friday, Dart was comprehensively outclassed by Olympic silver medallist and former French Open finalist Vondrousova.
Dart exploited some early nerves from her opponent and should have led 2-0 but, helped by a string of double faults from the British No 2, Vondrousova quickly settled and reeled off 12 games in a row.
The opening match on Saturday sees Raducanu take on Vondrousova in a hugely intriguing encounter, with three points needed for victory in the tie. The two teams will play two singles matches, plus a doubles encounter if needed.
The British team comprises Raducanu, Dart, Katie Swan and Sonay Kartal.
Meanwhile, in her first match as world No 1, Iga Swiatek helped Poland take a 2-0 lead over Romania with a dominant 6-1 6-0 victory over Mihaela Buzarnescu, hitting 16 winners to wrap up the victory in 55 minutes.
United States also took a 2-0 lead in North Carolina against Ukraine with Alison Riske and Jessica Pegula winning their respective singles rubbers after an emotional opening ceremony which was attended by Billie Jean King and included a moment of silence for Ukraine's people.
Elena Rybakina dispatched Laura Siegemund 6-0 6-1 in just over an hour after Yulia Putintseva upset three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber with a 3-6 6-3 6-2 comeback win to give Kazakhstan a 2-0 lead over Germany.
Canada, led by US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, Italy and Spain also put themselves in prime position to advance and will go into Saturday with 2-0 leads.
Belgium have already advanced to the finals after receiving a walkover due to opponents Belarus being suspended from international team competitions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
