SVK 2-1 USA: Slovakia stun USA to book quarter-final place
14/11/2024 19:57
Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova hang on to seal victory for Slovakia with a tight 6-3 3-6 10-8 win over Taylor Townsend and Ashlyn Krueger
By Molly McElwee
Slovakia scored an almighty upset on the opening day of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, knocking out the USA to reach the quarter-finals and a meeting with Australia on Sunday.
Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova were the heroes who clinched Slovakia’s comeback victory in a match tiebreak over Taylor Townsend and rookie Ashlyn Krueger.
In a dramatic finale, the Slovakian pair almost squandered a 9-2 lead, letting six match points pass them by before they made their underdog win a reality 6-3 3-6 10-8.
Hruncakova threw herself to the ground in celebration, and then sobbed in her chair, overcome by the moment.
"I stopped counting, to be honest," she said of the match points. "It felt amazing. We lost couple of deciding doubles in the past, which hurt a lot back then and still does when I remember it. This time I really, really wanted to win. We both did. And we did absolutely everything we could. That final moment when Tereza did that smash, I have no words, to be honest."
The doubles pair were given the opportunity to fight for victory after teammate Rebecca Sramkova pushed the tie to a decider by pulling off a shock win over Danielle Collins in the second match of the night.
Sramkova may be ranked 32 places below world No 11 Collins, but she made light work of her in the first set, and then battled back in the second to take the match 6-2 7-5. It was the best win of her career on ranking and her first Billie Jean King Cup victory since 2017 (as well as her first appearance in four years). It also came after the best season of her career, where she won her first title in Hua Hin.
“I still have no words,” she said. “I was in the zone today. She’s anyway [an] amazing player, all respect to her. I was just playing unbelievable today, so I’m happy I got the chance after a few years and I showed what I played the whole year.”
Slovakia had come into the tie with a 1-0 record against the 18-time champions USA, but were by no means favourites. On ranking, the USA were far superior and looked to be on their way to progressing through the competition when, earlier in the evening, Townsend won the first point in her singles debut. She got past 17-year-old Renata Jamrichova in straight sets, 7-5 6-4, but the tie was turned on its head by two scintillating performances from the Slovakian side, who were deserved winners in the end.
Slovakia captain Matej Liptak paid tribute to his players: "It's unbelievable, unbelievable feeling. That was the hope that the way it can be like that maybe we win one single and then we will play the deciding doubles. I'm really proud for the girls, because they really deserve this, and our atmosphere in the team and believing and heart for the country is unbelievable. We are really happy, and we are looking forward for the next match."
Meanwhile, for a USA team that had ambitions of winning the competition this year, their trophy drought - which stretches back to 2017 - continues.
Captain Lindsay Davenport, who was making her debut in the role at the Finals, gave credit to the Slovakia performance and said her team "competed so hard".
"We didn't feel tons of pressure. We obviously have high expectations, but I think we knew our top five players weren't here. I think that this team was excited to see what they could do.
"I thought if we could just kind of hang around - I knew this one was going to be tough. They are big hitters. Two of the five players dealing with injuries, all of a sudden we're down to three. They competed so hard. They did their absolute best.
"A tough night, no doubt. But, you know, hopefully we'll be back next year and ready to go to work again."
