SHENZHEN: Great Britain’s comeback hopes were dashed in Shenzhen, China when the Czech Republic won two consecutive singles matches to reach the quarter-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup. In a thrilling three-set match, Mary Bojkova defeated Sonay Kartel, while in the second match, Linda Noskova defeated Katie Boulter in straight sets. Czech Republic won the match with a 2-0 lead and after this there was no need for a doubles match. Tennis fans enjoyed this exciting match VETO OTT.
Mary Bojkova recorded a spectacular victory
In the first match, Sonay Kartel, who was returning to competitive tennis after 6 months, gave a tough competition to Bojkova. The British player, who was away from the court for a long time due to a lower back injury, put pressure on her opponent several times in the three-hour match. However, Bojkova maintained her composure at the crucial moments and won the match 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-4.
World number 127 Kartel faced Bojkova, who was ranked 101 places above him. Despite this, the British players remained in competition throughout the match. She saved three match points and even broke Bojkova’s serve, but the Czech player did not lose her lead in the deciding set. After this win, for Great Britain to remain in the competition, Katie Boulter needed to defeat Linda Noskova. But world number six Noskova did not let Boulter’s challenge last long. He won 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) and took Czechia to the final-4.
Great Britain’s dream of winning the title shattered
This defeat was also disappointing for Great Britain because the team lost the chance to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2023. The team has not been able to win the Billie Jean King Cup title yet and the wait for it will continue. At the same time, 11-time champion Czechia is now eyeing another title. They will face Kazakhstan or Spain in the semi-finals on September 25. Kazakhstan has entered this tournament without world number one and US Open champion Elena Rybakina.
The Czech Republic team also includes world number one doubles player Katerina Siniakova. She has won 11 Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles and recently became the US Open doubles champion for the second time. However, Czech Republic did not need him against Great Britain and with both the singles wins, the team reached the quarter-finals.