Britain looked to be heading for their first final in the competition since 1981 when Emma Raducanu defeated Viktoria Hruncakova 6-4 6-4 and Katie Boulter won the opening set against Rebecca Sramkova. Neither had dropped a set all week until that point but Boulter could not maintain her advantage and Sramkova fought back to claim a 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory and send the tie to a deciding doubles. Called into action for the first time all week, Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls were caught cold by Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova and fell to a one-sided 6-2 6-2 defeat.
It is therefore Slovakia who will take on Italy on Wednesday for the title, while Britain must reflect on a disappointing end to what has nevertheless been a positive campaign. In particular, the performances of Raducanu, who was a doubt for the event after suffering a foot injury two months ago, show that Britain can hope to challenge for the title again in the near future. The 22-year-old was not at her best in a nervy encounter against Hruncakova, ranked a lowly 238, but was again able to hang tough when it mattered.
After saving three break points in her first service game, Raducanu raced into a 5-1 lead only to become a little passive and allow the big-striking Hruncakova to claw back three games. The 2021 US Open champion served it out at the second time of asking, and the second set was a similar story, with Raducanu establishing a dominant lead, wobbling, but eventually finding a way through. “Every match i.