LE PORTEL: Former US Open winner Emma Raducanu completed a remarkable weekend as she beat France’s Diana Parry to send Britain into the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Le Portel on Saturday.
Raducanu, ranked 302nd in the world as she continues her comeback from double wrist surgery, withstood an incredible Parry fight back to seal a 4-6 6-1 7-6(1) win.Katie Boulter had earlier beaten Clara Burel 7-5 6-0 to put Britain 2-1 ahead before Raducanu finished the job with her second impressive win of the tie.
Britain’s first-ever win over France away was all the more notable as it was on clay which is a surface not ideally suited to either Boulter or Raducanu.They now go through to the 12-nation finals in Spain later in the year where they will be joined by the other winners from the weekend’s qualifiers including Australia and Poland.
Australia were too strong for Mexico, winning 4-0, while Poland, with world number one IgaSwiatek posting a couple of singles wins, crushed Switzerland 4-0.Slovakia beat Slovenia to book their place in Seville while Naomi Osaka’s Japan beat Kazakhstan.
Last year’s champions Canada, runners-up Italy, host nation Spain and wildcard Czechia, were already assured of their placed in the finals that will be held in Seville.The 21-year-old Raducanu slipped a set behind against Parry but took control with some scintillating tennis to sweep through the second set and then move 5-2 ahead in the decider.
Parry saved two match points when Raducanu served at 5-3 and battled back to square the match and then failed to convert break points to lead 6-5 in the decider.Raducanu, who has struggled with form and injuries since her fairy-tale US Open title in 2021, found an extra gear in the tiebreak to spark celebrations from the British contingent.
“Being a set down, I was backed up against a wall and I didn’t want to go to the doubles because they’re a very strong doubles team,” Raducanu, who beat Caroline Garcia on Friday also from a set down to level the tie, said.
“Boults helped us go 2-1 up and (we had) the support on the bench to help us go out again. It’s a massive shout-out — it is not just me out there.”
Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of a third successive Barcelona Open title have been dashed as he withdrew from the tournament on Sunday due to a right arm injury, organisers announced.It is the same injury that forced Alcaraz to pull out of this week’s Monte Carlo Masters and comes just weeks away from the French Open.
“Despite having tried until the last moment, he will not be in the Barcelona Open,” read an organisers’ statement.Alcaraz will set his sights on the Madrid Open — it runs from April 24 to May 5 — which he has also won on the past two occasions.
The 20-year-old is yet to add a French Open crown to his US Open (2022) and Wimbledon titles (2023), his best performance a semi-final last year.The French Open begins on May 26.As top seed in Barcelona he would have had a bye into the second round — a luxury not afforded to his superstar compatriot Rafael Nadal.
The 37-year-old has been given a wild card invite on his return to the ATP Tour for the first time since a hip injury flared up in January.Nadal plays will play 63rd-ranked FlavioCobolli of Italy in his opening match.The 22-time Grand Slam champion has played just once, in an exhibition match against Alcaraz, since his quarter-final defeat by Jordan Thompson in the Brisbane Open.
