Match one: Raducanu overcomes Niemeier to give GB the advantage

British No.2 Emma Raducanu got the Lexus GB Billie Jean King Cup team off to a winning start as she beat world No.92 Jule Niemeier 6-4, 6-4 in an hour and 57 minutes.

The Brits now need just one more win in the final two rubbers to book a place in the quarter-final against Canada.

Another strong performance from Raducanu takes her overall Billie Jean King Cup record to 4-1 in her first five rubbers for her country.

“I think I played some really good tennis today,” she said. “Playing Jule on an indoor hard court isn’t easy.

“I haven’t played a match in a long time so I think there are small sharpness things that will come the more matches I play. I’m proud of how I regrouped and managed to close out that final game.”

Raducanu – who hasn’t played a match since September – got off to a quick start on her Finals debut in Malaga. On her third break point of the match with the scores locked at 3-3, she found a brutal forehand return winner to strike the first blow.

The 22-year-old soon found herself on the back foot however, managing to stave off five break points of her own with some impressive serving to consolidate the break in an important game.

The Brit saw out the set with a fifth successive hold and wasted no time in taking control of the second. The 2021 US Open champion broke on the opening game of the set with yet another clean winner off the Niemeier second serve.

The German showed signs of life after overcoming two break points before playing her best game of the match against the Brit’s serve to level at 2-2, but Raducanu refused to let her back into the match.

The Brit went on to a 5-2 lead but found it hard to get over the line against the resilient German.

Five match points came and went as Niemeier fought her way back to 5-4 and it started to become edgy for the Briton. However, on the sixth time of asking Raducanu forced an error off a low forehand to clinch a 1-0 advantage for GB.