Britain’s chances of an improbable run on home soil at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals took a significant blow on Tuesday night as they were outmatched by a strong Kazakhstan team, falling 2-1 in their first tie at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.
In the opening encounter, Yulia Putintseva recovered from a set down before beating Katie Boulter and easing through 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Elena Rybakina then put the tie to bed with ease, overpowering Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-4 and marking her return to Britain for the first time since winning Wimbledon with a victory.
