Czech Republic and Japan surge into Junior Billie Jean King Cup final
Top seeds Czech Republic will do battle with Japan for the honour of being crowned Junior Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas champions after both nations booked their place in tomorrow’s final.
The semi-finals proved a more straightforward proposition for the Czechs, who guaranteed themselves a shot at the title following a commanding singles victory for the irrepressible Brenda Fruhvirtova and a three-set salvo from Sara Bejlek against Germany.
Japan’s tie with No. 2 seeds Russia, however, went the distance and they were indebted to doubles pairing Sayaka Ishii and Sara Saito as they surged over the line by dispatching Anastasiia Gureva and Elena Pridankina 6-4 6-0.
Czech Republic now have the chance to top the competition’s podium for the fifth time, and in the process move alongside Australia into second place on the all-time list for total number of Junior Billie Jean King Cup triumphs.
Japan, meanwhile, have never previously won the tournament, but were runners-up in 2017 after slipping to defeat in the final against a rampant United States – their first of three successive titles.
The Czechs will hope to welcome back their No. 1 player Nikola Bartunkova. The 15-year-old was on site today but did not feature after spending yesterday feeling under the weather. In her absence, Bejlek was delighted to play her part in this latest Czech masterclass.
“It feels so good to have won the match which takes us to the final,” Bejlek told itftennis.com. “The match point was perfect, I was like, ‘oh my God, we are in the final’. I am so happy that we’re there and that I have had this opportunity.
“It would mean so much to win the Junior Billie Jean King Cup as it means everything to represent my country. We will win, I hope. We won the European Qualifying event, so we know we are good. Now it is time to take that next step.”
Left-hander Bejlek, who is ranked No. 63 in the junior world rankings, claimed her first professional title at W60 Olomouc in July. Incidentally, a quirk of the teenager’s on-court appearance sees her wear different coloured tennis shoes.
“This is my style,” said Bejlek. “I have worn this since I was about seven years old. It is just my style and it is how I play. I won my first tournament like this, and I have played like this ever since.”
Russia, meanwhile, have been in blistering form all week, so when they surged into a 1-0 lead following Pridankina’s victory over Ena Koike, the outlook for No. 7 seeds Japan looked bleak.
Hopes of a Japanese victory appeared to be fading further when Yaroslava Bartashevich claimed the opening set of the second singles tussle, only for Ishii to come storming back to great effect. The 16-year-old eventually prevailed 3-6 6-3 6-0.
Ishii’s heroics paved the way for Japan to showcase their doubles prowess and they were ruthless in doing so. Japan’s girls are now in contention to repeat the feat of their nation’s boys, who were crowned the world’s best team in the 16-and-under age category in 2019.
Two years earlier, Japan’s girls suffered the heartbreak of defeat in the final in Budapest, despite having the likes of Yuki Naito and Naho Sato – both top 20 players in the junior world rankings – within their ranks.
Yoshinori Nakayama was Japan’s captain back then. He is now the director of junior girls’ development at the Japan Tennis Association and is here in Antalya as head coach. Nakayama is urging his side to make history tomorrow.
“Getting to the final is such a fantastic achievement,” Nakayama told itftennis.com. “In 2017, we reached the final with two top girls but, this time, our team lacks international experience, largely due to Covid-19 and the lack of ability to travel.
“As a result, we didn’t really know the level the players could reach and, for that reason, they have exceeded our expectations. We are so pleased. With results this week, we believe in ourselves, and it will be key tomorrow to take that belief on court.”
Japan’s victory also ended the possibility of Russia becoming just the fourth nation to win both Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup in the same year, and the first to do so since the United States in 2014, after their boys won their semi-final clash.
Meanwhile, in the positional play-offs to determine the final placings of nations within the top eight, there were victories for Morocco and Canada over Mexico and Peru respectively. Elsewhere, there were wins for Romania, Thailand, Argentina and Chile.