Slovakia reaches BJK Cup semis after eliminating Australia
Slovakia knocked out Australia to move into the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2002 after singles victories by Viktoria Hruncakova and Rebecca Sramkova gave the it an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Published : Nov 17, 2024 19:30 IST , MALAGA - 1 MIN READ
Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova in action. | Photo Credit: AP
Slovakia knocked out Australia to move into the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2002 after singles victories by Viktoria Hruncakova and Rebecca Sramkova gave the it an unassailable 2-0 lead on Sunday.
Hruncakova overcame Kimberly Birrell with a hardfought 7-5 6-7(4) 6-3 win in a match lasting two hours and 30 minutes.
Hruncakova, 126 places below Birrell in the rankings, hit 32 winners while the Australian made 37 unforced errors.
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World number 43 Sramkova stunned Ajla Tomljanovic with a ruthless performance, beating the former Wimbledon and U.S. Open quarter-finalist 6-1 6-2. Tomljanovic was struggling with a knee issue.
Slovakia had shocked record 18-times champions the United States on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals.
Slovakia will face either defending champions Canada or Britain for a place in the final. Poland and Italy have booked their places in the last four.