(Coventry) With five tiebreakers in the five sets played and almost six hours of play in total, France took a big step towards the Billie Jean King Cup finals by leading 2-0 against Great Britain on Saturday , in Coventry.
Even without their best player, Emma Raducanu (68th), who preferred to save herself for the Stuttgart tournament which begins on Monday, the British were very tough on the fast surface of the CBS Arena in Coventry (central England) .
Only 138th and 154th in the world, Harriet Dart and Katie Boulter held off Alizé Cornet (70th) and Caroline Garcia (5th) respectively.
First in line, Garcia has almost never evolved to her true level, jostled by the aggressiveness of her opponent, especially on her devastating two-handed backhands.
The final score 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2) shows that the match ended in nothing.
“I’m not really surprised” by the match made by Katie Boulter, assured Garcia after her victory.
“I was expecting a great game from her, she had already proven that she could beat very good players,” she added.
In a very disjointed match, where the unprovoked faults were much more numerous (107) than the winning points (61) on both sides, the Frenchwoman above all managed to never lose the thread and was very modest on the reasons for his victory.
“It’s hard to explain what changed the game. I wish I could say that’s my experience, but I think it’s just tennis and it worked in my favor,” she explained, pleased with her solidity.
“I would have gladly taken (a win in) 6-3, 6-3, but I like to push my limits […] It’s a big win that shows that I’m maybe mentally stronger than you think. think so,” she continued.
“I take these (team) matches very seriously and it hurts” to lose, Boulter admitted.
“But I can’t have any regrets. I always take risks, I know it’s going to win me and lose games, I accept that, but I wouldn’t have felt good if I hadn’t played my game,” she said.
In the evening, the second single between Cornet and Dart was just as tight, even if the Frenchwoman managed to conclude in two sets.
“I’m so relieved, it’s been a big fight with Harriet. We gave our maximum […] A third set would have been very hard for both of them, ”commented the Frenchwoman on the court after the match.
With more rounded ball trajectories and more constructed exchanges, the two players went blow for blow, especially in a first set punctuated by six breaks and where Dart also had a set point at 6-5 in the decisive game. .
In the second, Cornet and Dart won all their engagements, but the Frenchwoman took the initiative more at the end of the decisive match, quickly breaking away at 5-1 in the tiebreaker before concluding at 7-3.
“In the fight, she always answered present and that is super-interesting for me. She tactically managed to play in certain areas and get out of the patterns of play that we had decided before, “said French captain Julien Benneteau.
“She went beyond frustration to win without playing the best tennis of her career,” he added.
If France only needs one point in the two singles and the possible decisive double scheduled for Saturday to validate its ticket for the final phase, Great Britain has certainly not given up.
“The sport is violent at times, but both players should be proud […] We don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves, we will have to be ready to fight again tomorrow morning,” said British captain Anne Keothavong.
