Czech team reaches Billie Jean King Cup final for the first time in eight years

The Czech Republic's women's tennis team has reached the final of the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in eight years. On Friday in Shenzhen, the Czech players defeated Spain 2-0 in the semifinal: the decisive point was won by Linda Nosková, who beat Cristina Bucșa 7-6, 6-2, after Karolína Muchová had defeated Jessica Bouzas 7-5, 6-4.

Muchová overcomes a difficult start

World No. 8 Muchová was playing her first match since the US Open — she did not feature in the 2-0 quarterfinal win over Great Britain. Against world No. 93 Bouzas, the 30-year-old Czech struggled to find her rhythm early on and trailed 2-4 in the first set, but immediately broke back and saved three more break points in the eighth game. Muchová then broke serve herself at 5-5 and served out the set. In the second set she squandered an early break advantage, but broke her opponent's serve again in the fifth game and held on to her lead, finishing the match in an hour and 40 minutes.

"It was a tough match," Muchová admitted. "I hadn't played since the US Open, so it took me some time to find my game." She converted four break points out of seven and fended off five break-point chances on her own serve. Team captain Barbora Strýcová praised the Olomouc native for the way she handled the difficult start: "It wasn't easy to get into the match, but after that she played brilliantly," Strýcová told Czech television.

Nosková seals the final berth

World No. 6 and reigning Wimbledon champion Nosková claimed the second point in an hour and a half against world No. 35 Bucșa. The 21-year-old led 5-2 in the first set but failed to convert two set points and was forced into a tiebreak — there she came back from 2-4 down to win 7-5.

"I'm glad I managed to fight back after losing a 5-2 lead and win the tiebreak," Nosková said. "After that the match went better for me." In the second set she won five games in a row after trailing 1-2, fired seven aces and closed out the match on her own serve without dropping a single game to her opponent. It was her second singles win of the tournament — she had earlier beaten Britain's Katie Boulter on Tuesday.

The win avenged the Czech team's 1-2 loss to Spain in last year's qualifying group in Ostrava. The team has also reached the final for the first time under the tournament's current format, in place since the 2020/21 season. "Every one of us contributed to reaching the final — it's not just down to me," Nosková said. "We're all incredibly happy that we managed it. There's just one step left."

Final against Ukraine or Italy

On Sunday, the team led by captain Barbora Strýcová will face the winner of the Ukraine–Italy tie, the tournament's defending champion, in the final. The Czech Republic is bidding for its 12th title in the history of the women's team competition — and its first since 2018.

Source: expats.cz