MINSK, 4 November (BelTA) – Belarus failed to reach the semifinal of the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Finals in Prague, BelTA has learned.
On 4 November in the second single rubber Aliaksandra Sasnovich (World No.88) lost to Ajla Tomljanovic (43) in three sets, 6-4, 2-6, 3-6.
In the opening singles rubber Yulia Hatouka (192) fell to Storm Sanders (131) 3-6, 3-6.
Captain of the Belarusian team Tatiana Poutchek chose Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Lidziya Marozava for the doubles rubber. Australia's Alicia Molik named Storm Sanders and Ellen Perez for the encounter. The captains can make changes.
Both teams faced Belgium earlier this week. Belarus lost 1-2 to Belgium, while Australia celebrated a 2-1 win.
The winner of Group B will play in the semifinal against the representative of Group D. The best in Group D will be defined today after the match between the Czech Republic and Switzerland. Earlier, both teams beat Germany.
The first semifinal pair is Russia (Group A) and the United States (Group C).
The match for a spot in the final will take place on 5 November. The final will be held on O2 Arena on 6 November.
The Billie Jean King Cup is the largest international team competition in women's tennis. They are organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Until September 2020, the competition was called the Federation Cup, but then it was renamed after the legendary U.S. tennis player.
Team Belarus has been playing in this tournament since 1994. The highest achievement of the Belarusian tennis players was reaching the finals in 2017, where they lost 2-3 to the United States in Minsk. The U.S. team has won 18 titles, the Czech Republic - 11 titles, and the Australians - 7 titles. In the decisive match in 2019, France beat Australia 3-2. Last season the tournament was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
