United States reaches first Billie Jean King Cup final since 2018 with win over Great Britain
Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula each went a set down in their respective matches against Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter, before fighting back to win in three sets to deny Great Britain a first final appearance since 1981.
Navarro, the 2024 U.S. Open semifinalist, lost the first set to Kartal, a player ranked 64 places below her, but recovered to win 3-6 6-4 6-3 in two hours and 14 minutes.
Pegula, who reached the U.S. Open final in 2024 and the semifinal this year, also dropped the first set in the second match, but Boulter was unable to replicate her 2024 United Cup win over the world No. 7 as Pegula won four games in a row to ensure her team reached the final with a 3-6 6-4 6-2 victory.
The matchup was the first between the countries in the elite women’s team competition in more than 33 years, and came after the U.S. beat Kazakhstan 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Great Britain, meanwhile, had defeated Japan 2-0 in their respective tie.
The U.S team will now play Italy in the final following the defending champion’s 2-1 win against Ukraine in the semifinals. Ukraine led the tie by a match, a set and a break when Elina Svitolina was up 6-4, 4-2 on Jasmine Paolini in the second rubber, but the Ukrainian tightened and Italy came back, as in its previous match against China. Paolini won in three sets to level the tie, before pairing up with Sara Errani to take the deciding doubles match.
The U.S. is the most successful team in the history of the Billie Jean King Cup, formerly the Fed Cup, and is pursuing a record-extending 19th title. However, the U.S. has won just one title since 2000: a 2017 victory over Belarus.
The final takes place on Sunday, September 21 in Shenzhen, China.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Tennis, Women's Tennis
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