Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova despatched the Czech Republic into the Billie Jean King semi-finals with a deciding doubles win over the USA.
The seven-time Grand Slam doubles champions beat Danielle Collins and Taylor Townsend 6-3 7-5 to win the tie 2-1 and e book a gathering with Canada.
The 11-times champions have been joined within the final 4 by Slovenia, who reached the semi-finals for the primary time.
Slovenia misplaced 2-1 to Kazakhstan however nonetheless went via from Group B.
That they had the most effective units win-loss document of the three groups of their group and superior to a semi-final in opposition to Group D winners Italy.
4 teams of three groups have been competing within the Finals of the ladies’s group competitors – previously generally known as the Fed Cup – in Seville, with solely the group winners qualifying for Saturday’s semi-finals.
Czechs win battle of the heavyweights
Within the winner-takes-all Group A gathering between the competitors’s two most profitable groups, 18-time champions the USA went 1-0 forward when Collins beat Siniakova 6-3 6-2 within the opening singles.
However the Czechs – who’ve gained six of the previous 11 editions – levelled when Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova overwhelmed 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-1 6-1 within the second singles.
That meant the place within the semi-finals got here right down to the doubles, the place the Czechs have been favourites due to their established and profitable pairing of Krejcikova and Siniakova, who’re the Olympic doubles champions.
They broke early within the opening set to take cost however have been then repeatedly pegged again in a nervy second set that featured seven breaks of serve earlier than finally making their expertise rely on their first match level.
‘It hasn’t sunk in’ – Slovenia make historical past
Whereas the Czech Republic are nicely used to going far within the event, Slovenia are celebrating new territory.
They have been the bottom ranked of the 12 groups competing in Seville however sprung a shock of their Group B opener after they beat final 12 months’s runners-up Australia to place them on the cusp of the semi-finals.
With different outcomes going of their favour, Slovenia have been capable of advance regardless of Friday’s 2-1 loss to Kazakhstan as a result of they ended with the most effective units win-loss document of the three groups of their group.
They made an emphatic begin when Kaja Juvan thrashed Anna Danilina – ranked greater than 700 locations beneath her – 6-1 6-0 earlier than Tamara Zidansek took on Yulia Putintseva.
World quantity 100 Zidansek knew she solely wanted to win one set to place her group via, which she took 6-2.
Although she then went on to lose the following set after which retire injured – and her group then misplaced the doubles to lose the tie 2-1 – Zidansek had accomplished sufficient to make sure her group would make historical past.
“For me, it hasn’t sunk it,” Zidansek stated. “Perhaps in per week after we all come dwelling, we’ll look again at this. Clearly we nonetheless have lots to do. It is not completed but.”
What’s the Billie Jean King Cup – and when do GB play?
Twelve nations have been participating within the Finals of the competitors, with groups cut up into 4 teams within the round-robin stage.
The group winners superior to Saturday’s semi-finals and the champions will likely be topped after Sunday’s last in Seville.
The winners will obtain prize cash of $2.4m (£2.1m), which is a part of an total cost pot of $9.6m (£8.4m) – a document determine for the occasion which matches the money awarded within the males’s equal Davis Cup.
Nice Britain didn’t qualify after shedding to France in April’s qualifying stage, as an alternative going right into a play-off tie in opposition to Sweden in London on 11-12 November.
Led by Katie Boulter, GB face Sweden on the Copper Field Area with a spot in subsequent 12 months’s BJK Cup qualifiers at stake.
The tie, which consists of 5 matches – 4 singles contests, with a deciding doubles if wanted – will likely be proven dwell on BBC Sport.