Paula Badosa hits the ball. /
The Spanish, who needed a victory to be in the semifinals, are shipwrecked against Great Britain
Black day for Spain in the Billie Jean King Cup. Anabel Medina’s team needed only one victory, in the three matches this Thursday, and did not win a set. Nuria Parrizas, Paula Badosa and the duo formed by Aliona Bolsova and Rebeka Masarova collapsed against Great Britain and remain at the gates of the semifinals.
With the public against and with the pressure of having it in hand, Spain had a horrible day and lost all three games on the fast track. The plenary against Kazakhstan on Wednesday was a mirage.
Parrizas, who made a real great match against Yulia Putintseva, took a harsh correction against Heather Watson, number 133 in the world. A 6-0 and 6-3 in just over an hour that increased the pressure on the Spanish team. There were still two bullets in play, no need to worry.
Above all, because Badosa was the next to jump onto the track. The Spanish number one was the great asset to close the tie, with Harriet Dart in front. The Catalan was never in the meeting. Dart, 98th in the ranking and unaccustomed to these victories, was always ahead, taking the first set 6-3 and withstanding Badosa’s attempts in the second, who did not take advantage of either of the two ‘break’ balls of the that he arranged Dart, with a 5-4 lead in the second set and a serve for Badosa, sentenced the match (6-3 and 6-4) and sent the match to the final doubles.
The winner of the doubles would advance to the semifinals. Aliona Bolsova and Rebeka Masarova, who made her debut in this match, against Alicia Barnett and Olivia Nicholls. In theory, the British doubles was better and on the track it also proved. The first set could have fallen from either side, and it took its toll on the Spanish not to take advantage of any of the five break points they had. In the ‘tie break’, equality lasted until 4-4, at which point the British took a step forward. And there was no more game.
The second set was a military walk for Nicholls and Barnett (7-6, 6-2), who managed to qualify Great Britain for a historic semi-final at home. This Saturday they will seek the pass to the final of a title that they have never won and whose last final was in 1981.
Spain is once again at the gates of a semifinal that it has not stepped on since 2008, when the team, led by Carla Suárez and Medina herself, lost the final against Russia. The sixth Billie Jean King Cup will have to keep waiting.
