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Great Britain’s wait to get their hands on the Billie Jean King Cup will continue after they exited the tournament with a semi-final loss to the United States.
Sonay Kartal was first to step on court in Shenzhen, China, facing Emma Navarro and going a set up early on with a 6-3 success, but losing the next two sets 6-4, 6-3 to leave Great Britain 1-0 down.
Katie Boulter then took on Jessica Pegula and again she hit her stride quickly, winning the first set 6-3, but after a tussle the second set went 6-4 to the American and the final set then ended 6-2 in favour of Pegula.
“I think the players either side of me should hold their heads high. We really took it to the American team,” the captain, Anne Keothavong, said. “The matches were close, there were chances in both matches, in the second set, for both players.
“I’ve said throughout the week, this competition is really important to all of us. I think you could see how much it meant to the players competing out there, how much they wanted it. They threw everything at it but came up short. That’s sport for you.”
Boulter was able to draw the positives from the match and considers her disappointment in having lost as a sign of the higher personal expectations that come with developing as a player. She said: “I always love walking out there and playing for my country. I think for me it’s where I get my biggest wins and my lowest losses.
“At the same time I know it’s going to motivate me for a very long time. Obviously a match like that against a top-quality player, I can’t expect myself to win every time. I’m actually at a stage where I expect myself to win those matches, which is why it hurts more. I think that’s a good thing. I think it shows the level that I’m at and I take the positive side of that. I feel like my motivation’s back and I feel like it’s there every single day. ”
Kartal joined the British team for the first time earlier in the season and described the experience as one of the best of her career so far despite the loss. She said: “It was my first experience this year of playing the qualifiers and playing here. I think there’s a lot of emotion.
“I am gutted we couldn’t pull through it, hopefully I can take this match and it gives me the momentum that I was having the last few months. It’s these weeks that I’ve always said that are the highlights in people’s careers. For me, playing these events is top three.
“It’s a huge honour to represent your country. I think these are the most enjoyable weeks, the toughest weeks. Like Katie said, it’s tough when we get this close. It’s been an unbelievable week for me. I’ve loved every single second.”
The USA will now play the reigning champions, Italy, in the final on Sunday, allowing the American team only a brief turnaround as they prepare to challenge for a 19th triumph in the tournament.
America’s captain, Lindsay Davenport, said: “It’s been a privilege to be here. I haven’t been back since the 2008 Olympics and to see all the changes in this country, to see all the growth in this sport has been really fun for us. It was our goal to make it here. We made it here. We’re through to the final. Everything has been perfect for us here this week. We’re excited for one last day of competition tomorrow.”
