Paris, April 16 (AFP\/APP): Jessica Pegula sealed victory for the United States over Austria on Saturday as the record 18-time champions secured their place in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.<\/p>\n
World number three Pegula made quick work of Julia Grabher, winning 6-1, 6-3, to give the heavily favoured Americans an unassailable 3-0 lead over Austria in their tie in Delray Beach, Florida.<\/p>\n
“I really wanted to clinch today,” said Pegula. “It’s so much more exciting when you get to guarantee your team through.”<\/p>\n
It was a second singles victory in 24 hours for Pegula after she followed up Coco Gauff’s opening win over Grabher on Friday by defeating Sinja Kraus in straight sets.<\/p>\n
Gauff skipped the singles game against Kraus but secured a 4-0 win for the Americans with a doubles victory alongside Caty McNally against Melanie Klaffner and Kraus.<\/p>\n
Canada defeated Belgium 3-2 with Leylah Fernandez and Gabriela Dabrowski winning the deciding doubles game with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Kirsten Flipkens and Greet Minnen.<\/p>\n
In Saturday’s singles games, Minnen beat Katherine Sebov 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and Fernandez fought back for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Ysaline Bonaventure.<\/p>\n
The Czech Republic saw off Ukraine 3-1, with Marketa Vondrousova earning the winning point against Katarina Zavatska 6-3, 6-4, after former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova lost 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to 38th-ranked Marta Kostyuk.<\/p>\n
On Friday, 12th-ranked Krejcikova eased past Zavatska after 2019 Roland Garros runner-up Vondrousova dispatched Kostyuk.<\/p>\n
The matches were played in the Turkish city of Antalya because of the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
World number five Caroline Garcia sent France through with a 6-1, 6-7 (10\/12), 6-1 win over Britain’s Harriet Dart in Coventry.<\/p>\n
Britain, which reached the semi-finals last year, were missing Emma Raducanu, leaving 138th-ranked Dart as their top singles player.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Garcia and Alize Cornet had to play almost six hours between them to edge out Katie Boulter 6-7 (2\/7), 7-6 (7\/4), 7-6 (7\/2) and Dart 7-6 (8\/6), 7-6 (7\/3) respectively.<\/p>\n
“She (Garcia) knew the job was not done yet, yesterday evening she told me ‘I’m ready to go tomorrow’,” said France captain Julien Benneteau.<\/p>\n
– Rybakina leads Kazakhstan –<\/p>\n
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina beat Poland’s Magda Linette to wrap up victory for Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n
Rybakina won 6-4, 6-2 in the third rubber in Astana having also won Friday against Weronika Falkowska when teammate Yulia Putintseva defeated Linette.<\/p>\n
“I’m delighted that Kazakhstan will be able to fly our flag on this big stage once again,” said Rybakina after the tie against a Polish side missing injured world number one Iga Swiatek.<\/p>\n
Nuria Parrizas Diaz secured Spain’s win over Mexico on clay in Marbella, breezing past 196th-ranked Marcela Zacarias 6-3, 6-0.<\/p>\n
Parrizas Diaz also won her singles match in straight sets on Friday, along with Sara Sorribes Tormo, to ensure Spain’s presence in the finals in November at a venue to be decided.<\/p>\n
In Stuttgart, Germany’s Anna-Lena Friedsam made up for losing the hosts’ opening rubber by clinching the winning point with a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Brazil’s Laura Pigossi.<\/p>\n
“It was really a golden day for me — I played unbelievably well,” said Friedsam, ranked 91.<\/p>\n
She had lost in three sets to world number 14 Beatriz Haddad Maia on Friday before Tatjana Maria saved a match point to haul Germany level against Pigossi.<\/p>\n
Jule Niemeier earlier defeated Haddad Maia 7-6 (7\/3), 3-6, 6-2.
\nItaly got the better of Slovakia 3-2 as Martina Trevisan and Elisabetta Cocciaretto beat Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in the deciding doubles.<\/p>\n
Slovakia rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the tie with singles wins on Saturday for Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Hruncakova but could not complete the turnaround despite leading 5-3 in the final set of the doubles.<\/p>\n
Bad weather interrupted Slovenia’s comeback bid against Romania with the team level at 3-3 in the first set of the decisive doubles rubber.
\nSlovenia trailed 2-0 at home in Koper after Friday’s action but fought back as Tamara Zidansek and Kaja Juvan both won their matches.<\/p>\n
Defending champions Switzerland and 2022 runners-up Australia received automatic qualification to the November 7-12 finals, which will feature four groups of three.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Paris, April 16 (AFP\/APP): Jessica Pegula sealed victory for the United States over Austria on Saturday as the record 18-time champions secured their place in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. World number three Pegula made quick work of Julia Grabher, winning 6-1, 6-3, to […]<\/p>\n
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