Romania have big ambitions in Malaga
13/11/2024 13:48
Despite this being their first appearance at a Finals, Romania have vowed to “dream big” as they pursue the holy grail of Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge glory in Malaga.
By Ross McLean
Romania will draw swords with Japan on Thursday (start time: 10:00 CET) in what will now be the first tie of the 2024 Finals following the postponement of the Spain versus Poland clash due to severe weather warnings.
Whoever wins between Japan and Romania will advance to the quarter-finals of a revamped women’s World Cup of Tennis finale, which this year is a straight knockout.
Previous editions of the Finals have included an initial group stage, but success in their opening tie would catapult Romania into the last eight for the first time since 2019.
On Saturday, the victors will play 2023 runners-up Italy, which as a seeded nation in this year's Billie Jean King Cup, has received a bye to the quarters.
Thursday’s tussle between Romania and Japan promises to be a closely-fought affair, although Romania captain Horia Tecau has urged his team to feel at home on the competition's biggest stage.
“We are very happy and very motivated to be here,” he said. “It is a great event with very strong teams. Looking at our team, we have strong singles and strong doubles, so we have the state of mind to dream big.
“We are taking one day at a time, trying to keep good energy and control the things we can control. We have arrived in a good physical and mental state for the matches.
“Having this team and girls who have beaten top players before, we can dream big and dream of going to the late stages of the competition. We will focus on ourselves, reset after every win and keep dreaming big.”
Romania sealed their place at the 2024 Finals after recovering from 2-0 down to beat Ukraine 3-2 in April’s Qualifiers in Fernandina Beach, Florida. It was only the ninth time a team has overturned a 2-0 deficit in the competition’s history.
Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristian lost to Lesia Tsurenko and Elina Svitolina in the opening singles matches of the tie before winning the reverse singles to level matters at 2-2.
The duo then teamed up to great effect during a tense deciding doubles to dispatch Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok – a series of events which Bogdan concedes will live long in the memory.
“It’s a moment we will never forget and a moment that sometimes we go back to,” said Bogdan. “We think about the energy and the pure passion that we had, and we put it all out there on the court.
“We played with our hearts and that was the key to winning that match. For sure, we will always have it in our hearts, and it gives us a lot of energy for what’s coming this week.
“To be here is very special for me because it is something I wrote in my journal and something I have dreamed of for years. Before, I couldn’t make it to a Finals and those moment were tough.
“But I kept on dreaming and believing that we could make it and now it is a dream come true.”
Bogdan and Cristian are again named in the Romanian team and are likely to have a big say in their team's fortunes at Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena. They are joined by Anca Todoni, Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Monica Niculescu.
Niculescu, who made her Billie Jean King Cup debut 20 years ago in 2004, holds the record for most Billie Jean King Cup matches won, doubles matches won and ties played by a Romanian player. The 37-year-old knows a unified set-up when she sees one.
“I love this team,” she said. “We are a strong team. We communicate well and we have a lot of fun. I think that’s why the results are coming because we are solid. We are friends and everything works well when we are together.”
