BJK Cup: Ukraine, Spain, and Great Britain Secure Their Spots in the Finals
The competition weekend continues in the Billie Jean King Cup, with numerous results this Saturday revealing nearly all the nations that will advance to the finals.
In Poland, at Radom, Ukraine, led by Elina Svitolina, secured the top spot in Group E. Facing Switzerland, Svitolina won her singles match against Jil Teichmann (6-4, 6-2), enough to confirm her country's qualification.
The Swiss team had started the day strong with Céline Naef's surprise victory over Marta Kostyuk (6-4, 7-6).
In Group B, Spain triumphed over the Czech Republic. Led by their new captain Carla Suarez Navarro, Cristina Bucsa and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro won their singles matches against Marie Bouzkova (7-5, 6-1) and Linda Noskova (6-4, 6-2).
These two victories secured Spain's place in the finals after crushing Brazil 3-0 yesterday.
The last qualification of the day went to Great Britain. On the clay courts of The Hague, the match against the Netherlands was tightly contested. Sonay Kartal gave her team the first point by defeating Eva Vedder (6-4, 4-6, 6-1), but Suzan Lamens leveled the score with her win over Katie Boulter (6-4, 6-3).
The decisive doubles match went to the British, as the pair Burrage/Boulter easily defeated Schuurs/Lamens (6-2, 6-2).
With this, four of the six finalists (Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Spain, Great Britain) are now known for the finals, which will be held in Shenzhen from September 16 to 21.
Two spots remain to be decided between the United States and Slovakia in Group C, and Canada and Japan in Group A.
Defending champions Italy and host nation China have automatically qualified for the finals.
