GER 0-2 GBR: Boulter and Raducanu lead Great Britain into quarter-final
15/11/2024 19:56
Assured performance secures last-eight meeting with reigning champions Canada
By Molly McElwee
Great Britain cruised past Germany to book their place in the Billie Jean King Cup quarter-finals, thanks to wins from Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu.
On paper, Britain were the heavy favourites with former US Open champion Raducanu and top-30 player Boulter to draw upon in singles. It proved that way on Friday night, as both secured straight sets victories to propel their team to a 2-0 win with one match to spare.
It set up an intriguing final-eight encounter with reigning champions Canada on Sunday. British captain Anne Keothavong said she and the team were aiming high, and targeting the trophy.
"For me to be able to captain the team of incredible women, and for Katie to lead the way she does, and to have Emma back in the team, playing great tennis, given the circumstances over the last few weeks, I feel like I'm in a very fortunate position," Keothavong said.
"I said it at the start, before the competition started, I really believe that we can win this. I don't have a problem saying that out loud, because we've got quality players who have shown in their own right what they're capable of."
Raducanu put the British team on the right track with an opening win over Jule Niemeier. It was Raducanu’s first time on the match court since suffering a foot injury in mid-September. Despite the two months away, she showed few signs of rust and put in a commanding performance, showing particular confidence on her serve, hitting 10 aces.
It was only in the closing stages, when she was serving for the match, that she faltered. Niemeier rallied at 5-2 down and it took Raducanu six match points to knuckle down and close out the win 6-4 6-4, in just under two hours.
It extended Raducanu’s unbeaten run in the Billie Jean King Cup to three matches, and she said returning to the team environment after a long layoff helped "big time".
"I think it's a great way to come back, even though there is some pressure to score a point for your team," she said.
"You're not just playing for yourself; you're playing for everyone. I think as an individual athlete, it's not like a tour event. So I think having your team members on the side cheering you on when you might be a little bit nervous, and having the ability to use on-court coaching and getting feedback is very helpful when you haven't played for a long time. But today I think I wasn't very reliant on any information. I think I played pretty well and had things under control."
At the end, the strong contingent of British fans in attendance in Malaga sang Raducanu Happy Birthday in honour of her turning 22 earlier this week, and the celebrations only continued as Boulter put in an even more impressive showing.
Apart from being broken in the opening game, Boulter had a firm grip on her match against Laura Siegemund throughout. The 6-1 6-2 result included some aggressive returning, with Boulter winning 62 percent of points on Siegemund’s serve, and she wrapped things up within 70 minutes.
“I'm really happy with the way I played,” she said. “I kept my focus the whole time. Honestly, it's hard to stay focused the whole time in those matches, and obviously I'm supposed to win that on paper, but you never know what's going to happen. So I never take that for granted.
“You've got to try and win every single point and stay on top as much as possible, not really give her an in, because those kinds of players can come back if you drop your level for a game or two. Really happy with the way that I managed to stay at the same level the whole time today."
