Markéta Vondroušová

The captain of the Czech women’s tennis players, Petr Pála, also counts on today’s semi-finals of the tournament for the Billie Jean King Cup in the number one position with Markéta Vondroušová. He was not only clear about the player for the opening singles.

The Czechs are fighting for their first promotion to the final of the team competition since their triumph in 2018. Pála told reporters that the chances of success are greater than last year in Glasgow, where the Czechs lost at the same stage to Switzerland.

Even before Friday’s duel for promotion from Group A with the USA, he was clear about the start of Vondroušová, but he was considering who he would use in the first singles match at the number two position. He bet on Kateřina Siniaková, who lost to Danielle Collinsová, but the Czechs eventually turned the tide and won 2:1 in the matches.

The eleven-time winners of the team competition defeated the American women for the third time in a row and for the second time in a short time. They also beat them last year in the basic group and in the direct battle for the semi-finals.

“Last year we were very happy, but then it was very difficult for the girls to get from the euphoria to the state of playing the next match the very next day. Fortunately, we didn’t finish so late. We could be in a better mood on Saturday. Now just right to pick the number two in order to win the first match,” said Pála.

She expects the Canadian women to have 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez at No. 1 again. Until now, the role of the number two was played by the eighteen-year-old Marina Stakusicová. Captain Heidi El Tabakh’s team won all the matches in Seville, beating Spain and Poland 3-0 in the basic group C. The nomination will be announced by the captains one hour before the match, which should start at 16:00 at the earliest after the opening semi-final between Italy and Slovenia.

“It’s good to win the first point, because ‘Maky’ and Fernandez will have a tough match. The doubles was tough against the USA, but the girls were great. It doesn’t mean that if they won it now, they will succeed on Saturday too, although the chance is very good. It would be necessary to win the first match and then there would not be such a burden on ‘Maky’,” Pála said.

In October, Siniaková played twice with 21-year-old Fernandez on the WTA circuit. In Hong Kong, the Canadian was more successful in the final, a week later in Nanchang, the native of Hradec Králové was successful. “I saw both matches, it was terrible meat. She moves great, tries to play quickly at the line and is left-handed. It will be a slightly different match for her and ‘Maky’,” noted Pála.

The Czechs are in the semi-finals for the second time in a row. They are still waiting for a triumph in the new format of the competition, which applies from 2021. They last won in the old model five years ago.

“Even if it’s just two matches to win, we have a better chance of going further than last year. Last time we beat America after two great singles matches, but we had to play doubles. There were four girls, they were absolutely shredded and we played against Switzerland right away, which played excellently. I don’t know if it will work out, but we have a better chance. All the girls can start, we just have to agree on who is doing,” added Pála.

2023-11-11 11:09:16
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