By Tony Fairbairn
- Great Britain [6] def Germany 2-1
- Great Britain [6] def Netherlands 2-1
- Anne Keothavong spoke about consistency after Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage ensured finals berth for Great Britain.
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS – Anne Keothavong praised Great Britain’s consistency in the Billie Jean King Cup after Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage secured Britain’s ticket to Shenzhen.
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Great Britain have secured their place in the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the second year in a row after they defeated Germany and Netherlands 2-1.
It was a tough weekend which saw the British team compete on an uncomfortable surface in the form of indoor clay.
One of the stars of the weekend was Sonay Kartal who was making her debut this weekend and she got the ball rolling against Jule Niemeier.
It was an accomplished performance from Kartal who recovered from a break down in the opening set to defeat Niemeier 6-4 6-2.
Although Niemeier is known for her serving ability, Kartal was able to break her opponents serve on six occasions as she put the British team 1-0 up on Germany.
Next up was Katie Boulter, who had a much more difficult weekend and that showed in her match against Tatjana Maria.
It was a slow start from Boulter who was simply outplayed in the opening set by Maria with the German cruising to a 6-1 set.
A catalogue of errors was produced by Boulter but the British number one managed to improve her level just in time as she secured a 1-6 6-3 6-1 victory.
This meant Great Britain had won the tie and set up a winners take all tie against Netherlands but wanted to gain some confidence in the doubles.
It was the doubles that was their downfall last year with Harriet Dart and Olivia Nicholls looking to change their fortunes against Anna-Lena Friedsam and Laura Siegemund.
That was an optimistic expectation though against a well accomplished team and the British team were thrashed 6-4 6-1 in a poor performance.
It was a result that gave Anne Keothavong some thinking to do as they played the hosts the next day.
Again, it was Kartal who started proceedings as she took on world number 264 Eva Vedder in what was a physical contest.
Just like her opening match Kartal was broken in the opening game against the aggressive Vedder before breaking back in the fourth game for 2-2.
Neither player gave away too much on serve as Kartal grew into the match, playing confident baseline tennis and the Brit found her game at the right time to break for the set.
In the second set, Kartal aimed to take advantage of the momentum created in the opening set but failed to convert any of the three break points.
That saw Vedder grow in confidence and a long ninth game resulted in Vedder breaking before edging to a hold of serve to level the match at one set all.
However, Kartal was fitter and had more experience as the Brit cruised through the deciding set to seal the 1-0 lead for Britain.
Next it was Boulter’s turn as she looked to book Britain’s place in Shenzhen by defeating Suzan Lamens.
That plan had very minimal accuracy as the British number one was outplayed in a 6-4 6-3 defeat where Boulter was broken on five occasions.
The tie was level at 1-1 and Britain were now underdogs to reach the finals with the in-form Lamens returning to team up with doubles specialist Demi Schuurs.
Underwhelmed by the doubles match against Germany, Keothavong would spring a surprise on everyone as she opted for Boulter to team up with Jodie Burrage in the aim of shocking the hosts.
It was a plan that worked to absolute perfection as the British combination were aggressive, precise and effective on return.
A dominant 6-2 6-2 win booked Britain’s place in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the second year in a row with Boulter making up for her poor singles performances.
As for Burrage it was redemption after missing a year of action for her country due to wrist surgeries.
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Keothavong praises British consistency after Finals berth
A second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup Finals awaits Great Britain as they booked their place in Shenzhen after Boulter, Burrage and Kartal’s heroics.
However, it was Keothavong who selected the doubles pairing and took the bold risk that paid off.
After the success Keothavong praised the consistency of the team and believes they will be ready for the Finals later this year.
“It’s brilliant – the consistency the team has brought in recent years, competing at the highest level in this competition,” Keothavong told the LTA website.
“Last year there was a bit of disappointment – it was great to reach the semi-finals but equally it’s motivated us even more and this team is hungry for success, this competition means a lot for the british players and for me that’s a luxury in this position.
“All our female players should be celebrated. We’ve got the depth, there’s healthy competition and we’ve seen with all the most successful nations that you need that rivalry, not just at the top of the game but lower down and in the juniors as well you need competition. It drives them on.
“Come September we could have top 10, top 20 players. They’ve still got a lot of tennis to give, areas they need to work and improve on and I have no doubt they will. They’re all highly motivated individuals and when we arrive in Shenzhen we’ll be ready.”
The Finals will take place in Shenzhen, China on the 16th-21st of September with hosts China and defending champions Italy already booking their spot in the Finals before this weekend.
Joining Keothavong’s side as qualifiers are USA, Japan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Spain. The draw for the Finals will be made on Monday 12th of May.
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