The World No.1 has dropped five games in her last three BJK Cup matches.
By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday April 12, 2024
Photo Source: ITF/ BJK Cup
Iga Swiatek is no stranger to winning streaks. She of the 37-match tear in 2022 is also building a nice little number for the Polish BJK Cup team – Swiatek made it six consecutive victories in the format, defeating World No.158 Simona Waltert 6-3, 6-1 to give Poland the lead over Team Switzerland in Biel.
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It was a victory that was more difficult to achieve than the scoreline suggested, said Swiatek, who saved six of seven break points and won 15 of 21 second-serve return points against the 23-year-old.
The Pole has dropped a total of 5 games in her last three BJK Cup matches, and is 8-2 overall at BJK Cup.
“We had many games that were kind of even, with many deuces and break points. For sure it wasn’t easy – I felt like she can play like an underdog more with no pressure and with the Swiss crowd support.”
BACK to #BJKCup winning terms!
Iga Swiatek gets Poland the first point of the tie after defeating Simona Waltert 6-3, 6-1 💪 pic.twitter.com/bENNcvMuuM
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) April 12, 2024
World No.1 Swiatek has not lost at BJK Cup since falling to Dayana Yastremska in 2019 – Friday marked her first appearance in the competition since 2022.
“I knew what I can show and I wanted to just stay solid,” the four-time major champion added. “Because at the beginning I made a couple of mistakes that changed the momentum a little bit but the key is not to overthink it and not make the same mistakes so I’m glad that I did that at the end.”
Swiatek has now won six Billie Jean King Cup matches in a row – remaining unbeaten since a defeat to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in 2019.
👋🏼🇨🇭 pic.twitter.com/rptzt0HAkz
— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) April 9, 2024
France and Great Britain Split
A busy day of BJK Cup qualifiers saw France and Great Britain split on the clay of Le Portel.
Diane Parry got France out on the front foot by winning 12 games on the trot to defeat Katie Boulter, 6-2, 6-0, but Emma Raducanu rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Caroline Garcia to level up the two storied nations.
France and Great Britain are meeting for the second time in as many years after going 43 years without facing each other. France took last year’s meeting, 3-1, in Coventry, Great Britain.
Raducanu’s win over the World No.23 marked her first Top-25 win since 2023 Indian Wells. Garcia and Boulter will kick things off as play continues on Saturday at Le Chaudron. The pair had split their two previous meetings, both in 2022.
Here are the scores of the other Qualifier Rubbers:
Slovakia 2, Slovenia 0 | Bratislava, Slovakia
Japan 2, Kazakhstan 0 | Tokyo, Japan
Poland 2, Switzerland 0 | Biel, Switzerland
Australia 2, Mexico 0 | Brisbane, Australia
Ukraine 1, Romania 0 | Amelia Island, USA
Brazil 0, Germany 0 | Sao Paulo, Brazil
USA 0, Belgium 0 | Orlando, USA