Slovenia slay Netherlands 2-1 in Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs

Bengaluru: Slovenia defeated the Netherlands in the opening Group G tie of the Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs 2-1 on Friday to set hosts India up for a do-or-die match that takes place in less than 24 hours.

World No. 162 Tamara Zidansek and No. 98 Kaja Juvan won the first and second singles ties respectively to seal the victory for Slovenia ahead of their clash against India on Saturday. A similar outcome against the hosts will book their berth in next year’s qualifiers, while India and the Netherlands will be relegated to the continental Group I stages, making their Sunday tie inconsequential.

The 2021 French Open semifinalist Zidansek saw off the resistance of her former doubles partner and WTA No. 139 Arantxa Rus 6-1, 7-6 (8/6), before Juvan battled for three sets against the event’s highest-ranked player Suzan Lamens (No. 87) to win 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3.

The Lamens-Juvan rubber truly lived up to its billing as the ‘clash of the day’, with the two top-ranked players fighting tooth and nail. Lamens, looking solid with her serves and deep baseline game, dominated early to open up a 4-2 lead in the opening set after breaking her 24-year-old rival.

The 26-year-old Dutch player, who achieved her career-best ranking of 57 earlier this year, had the chance to take the set as she served at 5-3. However, three consecutive double faults surprised the crowd and handed Juvan the opening to break back. The Slovenian pounced immediately, converting the break point with an efficient forehand winner.

Lamens regrouped in the second set, breaking her opponent in the third game to open up a 2-1 lead and then holding serve comfortably to force a decider.

Juvan, however, sensed her opportunity in the final set as she capitalised on Lamens’ increasing errors, breaking in the second game straight after holding serve. From there, Juvan played smarter tennis, committing to longer rallies and grinding down a rival who preferred to stay deep and trade heavy shots. The Slovenian closed out the set 6-3 to give her side an unassailable 2-0 lead with one match left.

Earlier in the opening rubber, Zidansek gained early momentum against an error-prone Rus, who struggled to handle the extra bounce from the surface — a much-discussed point before the match.

Rus, whose serve lacked consistency, showed glimpses of her quality with some sharp returns but squandered three game points on serve to fall behind 1-5 in the first set. Zidansek dictated play regardless of serve quality and closed out the set 6-1 despite a brief late surge from the Dutch player.

The second set unfolded similarly, with Zidansek breaking Rus from the outset. But with nothing to lose and staring at a heavy defeat, Rus dug in to level the set at 4-4, responding to a drop in intensity from her opponent.

Rus turned more aggressive and precise with her forehand winners to force a tie-break, which became a see-saw battle with both players trading points on serve. Zidansek nearly let the match slip with a double fault on match point but recovered to take the next two points and seal the contest.

Results: Slovenia beat Netherlands 2-1 (Tamara Zidansek bt Arantxa Rus 6-1, 7-6 (8/6); Kaja Juvan bt Suzan Lamens 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3; Dalila Jakupovic/Nika Radisic lt to Suzan Lamens/Demi Schuurs 4-6, 0-6)