GB Teams
Billie Jean King Cup 2024: Great Britain qualify for 2024 Finals with 3-1 win over France
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The Lexus Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup team have secured their spot in the 2024 Finals after pulling off an emphatic victory over France at Le Chaudron in Le Portel.
The Brits clinched a 3-1 victory over France after Emma Raducanu closed out her second comeback win of the weekend in a final set tie-break against Diane Parry, adding to Katie Boulter's earlier triumph over late substitute Clara Burel.
This win sees them join Canada, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Australia, Japan, Poland, Slovakia, USA, Romania and Germany as one of the qualifying nations for this year's Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Seville.
It's the first time the Brits have made the Finals since 2022 when they reached the semi-finals in Glasgow.
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"It's going to take a lot to wipe this smile off my face - what a day" said Captain Anne Keothavong.
"I’m just so chuffed for the team – we came here and we knew it was going to be difficult and we were the underdogs, but we came, we performed and now we’re all leaving with a smile on our face."
"Two years ago we were the host nation of the Finals and we were the wild card entry but we still made the semi-finals. On this occasion we’ve qualified ourselves and the players and the team have done it. That’s where I believe this team belongs and I know they are hungry to go out there and perform later this year."
Great Britain suffered an early set-back after world No.49 Diane Parry defeated British No.1 Boulter 6-2, 6-0 in the opening match of the tie.
The Brit, who was by far the less experienced player on the clay surface, sprinted ahead to a 2-0 lead in the first set before Parry clicked into gear. The 21-year-old showcased the clay court flair that has led her to skyrocket up the WTA rankings, to win 12 consecutive games and etch the first point on the board to France.
It was then over to Raducanu who produced a scintillating display on her first Billie Jean King Cup appearance since 2022 against former world No.2 Caroline Garcia.
The 2021 US Open champion came back from a set and a break down against France’s highest ranked player Caroline Garcia to seal one of the best victories of her career, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and pull the Brits back into it.
Day two’s action was kick-started in magnificent style when Boulter bounced back from yesterday’s defeat to dispatch world No.44 Clara Burel 7-5, 6-0.
After being the first to concede her serve, Boulter responded immediately, ramping up the intensity to win nine games in a row to put Great Britain just one match away from the 2024 Finals.
Speaking on her win, Boulter said, "Today, I went out there and no matter what the score was going to be, I was going to play my way and it paid off eventually. I thought I played some really good tennis in the second set.
“I’m so proud of my head today, that was so mentally tough and could easily have slipped away but I stuck in there and it paid off.”
With the momentum firmly with the visiting side and the Brits on the verge of qualification Raducanu stepped up to produce another gutsy come-back win over Parry, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(1). Despite having two match points at 4-5 in the decisive set, the French star bit back to force a tie-break but the Brit made sure to not make the same mistake twice, as she won the next five points to wrap up the win and send her nation to November's final.
"I’m very pleased to have scored two points especially on clay against such a tough team" Raducanu beamed in her post-match interview.
"Being a set down I was like ok, my backs up against the wall but I definitely don’t want it to go to the doubles because they have a very strong team. To be able to come back, recover and get it done in the third set meant everything to me.
"I’m super pleased and happy for Katie and the way she bounced back after yesterday and today was when it really mattered."
