Slovakia Upset USA 2-1 To Enter Billie Jean King Cup 2024 Quarter-Finals

Slovakia scored an almighty upset on the opening day of the Billie Jean King Cup, knocking out the USA to reach the quarter-finals and a meeting with Australia on Sunday.

Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova were the heroes who clinched Slovakia’s comeback victory in a match tiebreak over Taylor Townsend and rookie Ashlyn Krueger.

In a dramatic finale, the Slovakian pair almost squandered a 9-2 lead, letting six match points pass them by before they made their underdog win a reality 6-3 3-6 10-8.

Hruncakova threw herself to the ground in celebration, and then sobbed in her chair, overcome by the moment.

The doubles pair were given the opportunity to fight for victory after teammate Rebecca Sramkova pushed the tie to a decider by pulling off a shock win over Danielle Collins in the second match of the night.

Sramkova may be ranked 32 places below world No 11 Collins, but she made light work of her in the first set, and then battled back in the second to take the match 6-2 7-5. It was the best win of her career on ranking and her first Billie Jean King Cup victory since 2017 (as well as her first appearance in four years). It also came after the best season of her career, where she won her first title in Hua Hin.

Видео Slovakia Upset USA 2-1 To Enter Billie Jean King Cup 2024 Quarter-Finals канала Olympic First