Great Britain’s hopes of reaching a first Billie Jean King Cup final since 1981 suffered a blow with defeat for Katie Boulter against Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova.
Emma Raducanu once again put Anne Keothavong’s side 1-0 up in Malaga with a 6-4 6-4 win over Viktoria Hruncakova but this time Boulter was unable to match her.
Boulter took the first set confidently against Sramkova but the Slovakian number one turned the match around to claim a 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory, sending the tie to a deciding doubles, with Italy awaiting the winners on Wednesday.
Raducanu was not at her best in a nervy encounter against Hruncakova, ranked a lowly 238, but was again able to hang tough when it mattered.
After saving three break points in her first service game, Raducanu raced into a 5-1 lead only to become a little passive and allow the big-striking Hruncakova to claw back three games.
The 2021 US Open champion served it out at the second time of asking, and the second set was a similar story, with Raducanu establishing a dominant lead, wobbling, but eventually finding a way through.
“Every match is truly challenging,” she said. “As the tournament progresses, it’s more and more. Today was a really tough battle.
A three-set battle ends in narrow defeat for Katie Boulter
— LTA (@the_LTA) November 19, 2024
It will be all to play for in the doubles with a @BJKCup final spot on the line#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #BJKCup pic.twitter.com/WcTIQGIVCs
“My opponent had huge ball striking. I’m really pleased with how I once again composed myself and served it out in both sets.”
That set the stage for Boulter to try to clinch victory without the need for a deciding doubles, as she had in confident fashion against both Germany and Canada.
She is ranked 19 places higher than Sramkova at 24 in the world but the Slovakian, who is almost blind in one eye, has enjoyed a breakthrough year and beat Boulter in their only previous encounter on clay in the spring.
This court certainly suits Boulter’s game much more and she controlled the first set very well to put her team within touching distance of the final.
But her groundstrokes became wayward at times early in the second set and Sramkova, who beat 11th-ranked Danielle Collins in Slovakia’s upset of the USA last week, opened up a 4-1 lead.
A screamer from Sramkova 🔥
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) November 19, 2024
She breaks first in the deciding set #BJKCup pic.twitter.com/8XbEwLhd5r
The British number one did not panic, steadying herself and winning three games in a row, but the nerves were evident as she served at 4-5 and Sramkova sent the contest to a third set.
The momentum was now with the Slovakian, who had really found her range, and she took an early lead in the decider only for Boulter to again peg her back.
It felt like the British player was hanging on, though, and her resistance ended when she served to try to stay in the contest, Boulter missing a backhand to keep the match alive for Slovakia.
