Emma Raducanu put Great Britain up early in their semifinal tie against Slovakia but still it wasn't enough for the British team to book a final ticket after they lost in the next two rubbers.
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On Tuesday afternoon, the 2021 US Open champion routinely handled the business against Viktoria Hruncakova after earning a 6-4 6-4 win.
Following Raducanu's triumph, next on the court was top-ranked British female tennis player Katie Boulter. Since the 24th-ranked easily won the opener with a 6-2 scoreline against Rebecca Sramkova, it appeared that Great Britain was cruising toward a comfortable 2-0 victory. But then, world No. 43 Sramkova came back to win 2-6 6-4 6-4.
After Boulter failed to seal the deal for her nation, Olivia Nicholls and Heather Watson had the chance to do it. But they didn't come anywhere close winning the deciding doubles match as Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova crushed the British pair 6-2 6-2 to send Slovakia into the final and set up a final meeting against Italy.
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Raducanu was hoping Boulter and the rest of the team would get the job done
By beating Hruncakova in the opening match, the former world No. 10 put her nation in pole position to win the tie. And she was optimistic that the rest of the team would deliver as well.
"It's amazing to have this support. Today I felt like I needed it and the team is going to need it. I really appreciate so much support from everyone on the GB side. I'm going to get everything done as soon as possible so I can come back here and support, and give everything like I just did on the court on the bench. I wish Katie well, she's playing amazing and I can't wait to come out and support her as well," Raducanu said after her win.
In Malaga, the 2021 US Open winner went 3-3 and didn't lose a single set.
