Australia have been carried to the Billie Jean King Cup last by an ideal Storm and the wonderful return of a nationwide tennis establishment.
The persevering with heroics of double winner Storm Sanders alongside the seemingly ageless Sam Stosur have left captain Alicia Molik believing her staff of battlers are actually able to be topped world champions once they play Switzerland in Sunday’s last in Glasgow.
In a tie-deciding tremendous tie-break within the doubles on the Emirates Arena, the pair saved their nerve admirably within the tooth of the house crowd din to edge Olivia Nicholls and Alicia Barnett and seal a 2-1 silencer of a conquer hosts Great Britain.
Saturday’s memorable triumph arrange the prospect of a primary title within the competitors for Australia in 48 years since Evonne Goolagong led the victors.
“It’s ours for the taking,” declared Molik.
“Today, Australia really showed our fighting spirit. We are going to bring it tomorrow too. It’s exciting!”
Three years in the past, Molik led the staff that misplaced agonisingly within the last to France in Perth.
But this time she’s satisfied her aspect can beat the percentages regardless that they will be underdogs towards the Swiss, for whom Olympic champion Belinda Bencic beat Karolina Pliskova in straight units to seal a 2-0 win over 11-time champions Czech Republic.
“We’ve got the team, I believe, to get through tomorrow. We’re still making up for the final we lost in 2019,” stated Molik, whose aspect have been overwhelmed by the Swiss in final yr’s semis.
Stosur – 19 years since she first performed within the occasion then often known as the Federation Cup – was once more a rock for her impressed accomplice as Sanders gained her fifth rubber of the week.
With the scores locked at 6-6 within the first-to-10 deciding tremendous breaker, the pair have been super-charged after the ultimate changeover, cracking 4 successful volleys between them to lastly edge to a 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (5-7) [10-6] win.
It was the thirty ninth BJK Cup win of 38-year-old Stosur’s distinguished profession -and there has hardly been a extra essential one.
“I’d certainly rather be playing than watching,” smiled the previous US Open champion, who felt she may spend the week cheerleading on the bench after not having gained a match since June.
Instead, she’s now prevailed in two essential matches with Sanders this week.
“I wanted to try and help the team in whatever way I could. If that’s on the court, that’s great; if it’s cheering from the sideline, then that’s okay too,” she added.
Victory got here after Sanders had earlier battled by way of a leg harm to beat Heather Watson 6-4 7-6 (7-3) within the opening singles rubber, just for Ajla Tomljanovic to then undergo a critical off-day, dropping to Harriet Dart – ranked 65 locations beneath her 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 to depart the tie on a knife edge.
Sanders was once more Australia’s aggressive inspiration, defying her lowly world rating of 237 as she outplayed world No.133 Watson regardless of feeling discomfited by a leg harm that required off-court physio remedy after the primary set.
But she was again two hours later, enjoying fantastically. “I’m ready, super-pumped and proud of this team. It’s awesome. Kind of use the high from today to keep going for tomorrow,” she stated.
“We are in the final, and I feel like, yeah, let’s give it everything tomorrow.”
