Match four: Raducanu clinches the tie for Great Britain

Emma Raducanu came back from a set down and then a break down in the decider to defeat France’s Diane Parry 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(1) – sealing Great Britain’s place in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Raducanu led the Brits to victory with two wins coming from behind against Parry and world No.23 Caroline Garcia, while Katie Boulter bagged the third against Clara Burel earlier on day two.

“A lot of love for the crowd out there in Great Britain supporting us and those who came out here,” she said. “I’m very pleased to have scored two points especially on clay against such a tough team.”

In similar fashion to her win over Garcia yesterday, Raducanu had to show huge composure to overcome a top performance from Parry and the noise of the French crowd in only her second match on clay in 12 months.

Despite the Briton overturning a break deficit in the opening set, it was Parry who made the initial breakthrough in the opening set – saving break point at 4-4 before taking the lead off the Raducanu serve.  

One of the most promising signs from day one was the way Raducanu’s level only grew as the match progressed and so it would prove again. The Brit broke on the opening game of the second and managed to hold off an onslaught of attacks from Parry’s return to push herself 2-0 in front.

Arguably her biggest weapon this weekend has been her return of serve and Raducanu continued to pick off Parry’s second serve to reel off four consecutive breaks from the end of the second into the third set.

With nothing to lose at 5-2 down, Parry came out swinging and conjured up some of her best tennis of the match. She saved two match points on the Brit’s serve and barely mis-placed a shot in rattling off three straight games to put the match on a knife-edge at 5-5.

On they went to a final set tie-break, where Raducanu picked her moment to rise once more. Big moments call for big players and Raducanu reached an incredible 46^th winner as she too seven of the last eight points to wrap-up the tie in two hours and 53 minutes.

Match three: Boulter seals impressive win over Burel

Katie Boulter has given Great Britain a 2-1 lead going into a decisive fourth rubber, after defeating world No.44 Clara Burel 7-5, 6-0 in an hour and 45 minutes.

The victory marks Boulter’s 12^th for her country in the Billie Jean King Cup and her first on clay.

“It’s a really crucial point that I wanted to get on the board and I’m very happy I did,” she said. “Obviously we’ve got two rubbers left and I wanted to give them the best chance I possibly could after yesterday.”

After a nervy start with three double faults and facing a break point in the first game, Boulter soon settled into the match and the two went toe-to-toe in a hard-fought opening set.

At 3-2 down, Boulter staved off another five break points in a game with nine deuces, which proved pivotal for the British star to stay in touching distance.

Burel finally got her break to give herself the chance to serve out the set at 5-4, but Boulter refused to die down.

After admitting the day before that she perhaps played too defensively in her previous match, Boulter was pushing into the net at every opportunity. Despite Burel having been just two points away from taking the set, Boulter sealed the break back with a pin-point volley before closing out the set with three games on the spin.

Confidence sky-high, she continued her winning streak into the second set, securing the early break with a delicate backhand drop shot before moving 3-0 in front.

Boulter continued to ramp up the intensity on her return of serve using her powerhouse forehand to full effect and once she clinched the double break, it was game over for Burel.

Match two: Raducanu fights back from a set down to pull Great Britain level

Emma Raducanu fights back from a set down to defeat world No.23 Caroline Garcia 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a jaw-dropping display on the opening day of their Billie Jean King Cup qualifying tie.

Today’s marked Raducanu’s first Billie Jean King Cup match since 2022, and she faced a tough challenge in former world No.2 Garcia who had won 12 of her previous 15 matches for France.

After Raducanu fell short in a closely fought opening set, the momentum was resting firmly with the French side as Garcia raced ahead to an early 2-0 lead. However, the 2021 US Open champion dug deep to bring up two break points and level the set to 2-2.

From then on, the Brit clicked into gear – transforming the battle by winning five games on the bounce before successfully stepping up to serve out the set.

With the confidence visibly flowing through the 21-year-old’s veins in the decider, Raducanu was firing on all cylinders. She continued to serve with accuracy and conviction, landing 72% of her first serves, while drawing out 27 unforced errors from her opponent to take control.

Having hunted down a double break to put the match beyond doubt, Raducanu closed out a magnificent performance on her first match point to wrap up a vital victory for her nation.

Match one: France take early lead as Parry defeats Boulter in opener

France took an early lead against Great Britain after Katie Boulter was defeated by Diane Parry 6-2, 6-0 in the first match of the tie.

Entering the match, Boulter led Parry 2-0 in their head-to-head with both of those victories coming on a hard court.

The British No.1 got off to a flying start against the world No.49 – sealing an early break after firing a blistering forehand down the line on the opening game of the first set before backing up the break to take a 2-0 lead.

However, with a rowdy French crowd firing her up, it didn’t take long for Parry to shake off the nerves and settle into the contest. The 21-year-old, who has built up a significant chunk of her ranking’s points on the clay, soon found her range as she shifted the momentum in her favour – reeling off six games in a row to take the opening set.

With the unforced errors creeping in off the Brit’s racket (29), she struggled to break Parry’s dominance and control in the second, with the French star racking up 22 winners across the match. An exceptional demonstration of clay-court class saw Parry extend her game-winning streak to 12 as she closed out the set in 31 minutes to notch a win on the board for France.