A depleted Great Britain team stun Australia in opening day's action of Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers

In a fixture they were very much second favourites for, thanks to a depleted lineup, Great Britain have come flying out of the blocks with a terrific start to their Billie Jean King Cup campaign Down Under. 17-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic caused a stir after taking down the inform Talia Gibson 7-6(4), 7-5 before Hariet Dart defeated Kimberley Birrell 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to commence their quest to qualify for the finals in fine fashion.

Great Britain was at a huge disadvantage. For starters, they had to travel halfway around the world in an extremely long trip to face the Aussies at Melbourne Park. Their opponents had fielded a strong team, with the likes of Maya Joint, Gibson and Birrell set to compete in the singles, and an experienced doubles team of Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez set to be a tough test.

For the Brits, they were without their top four players. Emma Raducanu signalled early that she would not be making the trip, opting to skip the trip to Australia to focus on the start of the clay swing. It was an awkward time to put this contest with such an important part of the season set to begin. While Raducanu had chosen to pursue the Upper Ladies Austria Linz, illness prevented her from competing, making her redundant for the tie anyway. Katie Boulter had a similar train of thought, edging towards starting her clay swing in Europe. Francesca Jones would make the trip to Madrid to take part in a WTA 125 event, departing in the early stages.

The most recognisable player on the plane was set to be Sonay Kartal. However, a back injury the British number two picked up in the Sunshine swing prevented her from competing. This was a frustrating blow for team captain Anne Keothavong. She already had Dart, Burrage and Stojsavljevic in her ranks. Katie Swan would also make the trip Down Under as the fourth player.

Originally set to face Maya Joint, the Aussie number one was forced to the sidelines with an injury. This forced Stojsavljevic to face off against a hugely dangerous Gibson. She had made a huge impression in the Sunshine swing, qualifying for both events while reaching the quarterfinals and last-16 stage in the WTA 1000 tournaments.

However, it would not be the start she was hoping for. After falling to a 3-1 deficit to the 17-year-old, Gibson clawed her way back into the match, getting it back on serve. It would end up at a tiebreak between the two debutants. Stojsavljevic proved her worth to the team after grinding out a hugely impressive first set win, controlling the tiebreak from the start.

For the second set in a row, the Brit broke the Gibson serve to move 3-1 ahead, and later 5-2. It seemed hugely likely that she would be able to get this over the line, but it would have to be the hard way. When serving it out, Gibson pulled a break to love out of the hat and was able to keep on fighting. After incredibly surviving five break points in a mammoth game, Stojsavljevic won the final four points of the match to seal victory and give Great Britain the upper hand.

Ranked over 200 places below Gibson, the 2024 US Open junior champion was delighted with her performance. "It feels amazing. I can't believe it. I can't even remember the last point," Stojsavljevic said after the match. "I had amazing support from the side and managed to get through. It was a good match. We have very similar games, both quite aggressive, so I'm happy to get through it."

Things would go from strength to strength as Dart took down Birrell to move Britain one win away from sealing a spot in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. After Birrell broke early, Dart attempted to get the match back on serve. Twice she did, and twice she was instantly pegged back enroute to a 1-0 deficit.

After four breaks to start the second set, a first hold for Dart proved crucial in a match where they both struggled to get their serve going. With her third set point, we had a level match in Melbourne with all to play for. This time, Dart broke first, Birrell responded well, but the next time this occurred she was left floundering. Dart won the final four games of the match while dropping just five points to confirm a 2-0 lead for her country in a hugely surprising but welcoming opening day for the Brits.

The tie is not yet sewn up. A doubles match between Hunter-Perez and Burridge-Dart will begin the action before Gibson and Dart clash ahead of a showdown between Birrell and Stojsavljevic. Australia needs to win all three matches in the best-of-five clash, with Britain hoping to see it out with no added drama.