Emma Raducanu may not have stepped onto the court for Great Britain at this year’s Billie Jean Cup Qualifiers, but her heart was right there with her team. The top-ranked Briton was watching every move and was among the first to congratulate the team as it sealed a spot in the Finals with an upset win over Australia.
The British team was spearheaded by up-and-coming talent Mika Stojsavljevic, who gave her side a 1-0 lead with a win over a much-higher ranked Talia Gibson.
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The youngster, a 7-6(4) 7-5 winner, gave her team the much needed fillip. Her teammates. Harriet Dart and the combine of Jodie Anna Burrage-Dart delivered the next two wins to seal the Finals spot.
Raducanu was quick to take note of her national teammates’ big performance. She shared a picture of the team’s winning moment on her Instagram stories and captioned it with two emojis: a celebratory face accompanied with the flag of Great Britain.
Speaking about her win with the billiejeankingcup.com, Stojsavljevic expressed disbelief. She recalled how she could not even believe being called into the team. She went on express pride in the way she handled her emotions during the memorable debut.
“When I got the call-up from Anne [Great Britain captain, Anne Keothavong], I couldn’t believe it to be honest,” said MIka Stojsavljevic. “I knew that some of the other girls weren’t available, but that was a good thing for me, and I was honoured to make the team.”
“Then, when Anne said I was playing the singles, that was even more incredible. I thought I was ready to do that and I think, more than anything, I proved that to myself today. I am proud of how I handled it,” she added.
Great Britain whitewash Australia at BJK Cup despite Emma Raducanu absence
Ranked No. 29 in the WTA rankings, Emma Raducanu is easily the best player from Great Britain at this point. She, however, was unable to make the Billie Jean King Cup team for this year’s Qualifiers.
In her absence, a mix of young talent and seasoned campaigners took the helm for the side. After Mika Stojsavljevic’s 7-6(4) 7-5 win over Talia Gibson, Hariet Dart earned a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Kimberly Birell.
Dart then combined with Jodie Burrage to beat the Australian pair of Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez 6-3, 6-4 to seal the tie and the Finals spot. Emerson Jones beat Katie Swan to score a consolation win for Australia and the fifth tie was abandoned.
Edited by Vedant Chandel