As they faced off against a quality France team on unfamiliar soil, each member of Great Britain’s team made no secret of their underdog status and the significant challenge ahead to qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup. Their inferiority on paper was reinforced early on as they found themselves close to a 2-0 deficit they may have struggled to overturn.
But over the past two days, Emma Raducanu has risen to this lofty occasion spectacularly, producing some of her very best tennis to lead her side into the Finals with two brilliant victories in a spectacular 3-1 upset of France.
Having suffered a “humbling” 6-2, 6-0 loss to Diane Parry in the opening rubber of their qualifying tie, Katie Boulter rebounded to win her first tour-level clay court match at the second try, defeating Clara Burel 7-5, 6-0 in a tight, messy tussle to move Great Britain up 2-1. Then after opening with one of her best performances to scupper Caroline Garcia, Raducanu closed it out with another show of excellence to defeat an inspired Parry 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1).
Although Great Britain reached the semi-finals of the BJK Cup in 2022, they had entered the event as a wildcard. This is the first time they have made the Finals by merit under its current format and this stands as one of their most impressive best-of-five match wins.
After Raducanu’s recovery from 3-6, 0-2 down on Friday night completely changed the complexion of the tie, Saturday morning brought further intrigue as France’s captain, Julien Benneteau, opted to replace Garcia with Burel, the world No 46.
It turned out to be a disastrous move. Between Burel’s inexperience in big matches and Boulter’s rustiness on clay, the first set made for a tight, scrappy affair with ample errors and uncertainty.
But while the Frenchwoman opted to sit back and wait for errors, the Briton resolved to dominate the baseline and play on her terms. Even as she trailed 5-4 in the opening set after an error-strewn service game at 4-4, Boulter continued to search for forehands and maintained her intensity to reel off three games in a row to snatch a crucial opening set before securing a 2-1 lead for her team.
“The most important thing was that I came out today and I fought, and I kept fighting,” said Boulter. “I played my way. I got a very, very sweet message from Emma last night which really kick started my day after her incredible performance. That was the main thing that got me through today.
“She said a few nice words, which means a lot coming from someone like her. She’s such a star and I have a lot of respect for what she’s done in the sport and the way that she plays and how relentless she is. I have a lot to learn from her.”
The pressure of an important fourth match, with so much on the line, can sometimes be suffocating. But Raducanu and Parry, both 21-year-olds and two of the most talented young players around, simply used the moment as inspiration to produce their very best.
From the very first game, a breathless 10 minute mini-battle, they were determined to dictate play. As the Briton refused to move from on the baseline, taking the ball early and striking her forehand brilliantly, Parry rocked back and unloaded on heavy topspin forehands, forcing angles and furiously closing down the net.
Two strong athletes, they constantly found ways to flip defence to attack. In the final game of the set, the Frenchwoman’s eagerness to attack the forehand in the final game marked the difference between them.
As in her opening match, Raducanu had played well despite conceding the opening set and had no reason to bow her head. She bounced back immediately, breaking serve in the opening game and rapidly expanding her lead. As she continued to swing away with her forehand and smother her opponent with her early ball-striking, she was rewarded as Parry struggled to match her.
As defeat neared for Parry and Raducanu methodically built a 5-2 final set lead, it was time for the Frenchwoman to show her own mental toughness by saving two match points and moving from 2-5 to 5-5 and 40-15 on the Briton’s serve.
But in the final moments, in danger of one of the most difficult defeats of her career, Raducanu showed why she is a grand slam champion.
After dragging herself level, she held her nerve to close out a brilliant match. In the process, she offered a strong reminder of what she has already achieved and underlined her determination to attain much more.