No Raducanu, no problem: Great Britain stuns Germany in Billie Jean King Cup

Katie Boulter led Great Britain to victory in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, in the opening tie of Group F. Without Emma Raducanu – who withdrew a few days prior – Sonay Kartal stepped in and the Brits claimed wins in both singles matches against Tatjana Maria and Jule Niemeier, eliminating the German team.

Interestingly, Germany’s top-ranked player, Eva Lys (No. 68), did not feature in either of the two ties, despite being on the team roster. On Saturday, Great Britain will face the Netherlands – led by Suzan Lamens – in a tie that will decide the winner of Group F and the team that qualifies for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

The first match of the day featured the opening singles rubber, with two players whose presence wasn’t widely expected at the start of the tie. For Great Britain, Emma Raducanu has typically held the No. 2 spot over the past year, but she withdrew "to look after her body". Her replacement was 23-year-old Sonay Kartal (No. 59), who faced world No. 120 Jule Niemeier.

On the clay courts of The Hague, the Germans were expected to benefit more from the surface, as their opponents were less familiar with slower conditions. The first set saw frequent breaks of serve on both sides. Niemeier took an early lead with a break to go 2-0 up but struggled with her serve for the remainder of the set.

Kartal quickly took control of the match, earning two consecutive breaks to move ahead 4-2. Neither player managed solid service games, with both winning more points on return throughout the set. Kartal earned four straight breaks, while Niemeier managed three. In fact, between the two of them, they only managed to hold serve twice before Kartal closed out the set 6-4.

The Brit continued to ride the momentum, claiming her fifth consecutive break against a Niemeier who was increasingly struggling with her first serve. Kartal surged ahead 3-0 with her own serve, though her opponent began to win some service games later on. With no break points played until the closing stages, Kartal pushed ahead 5-2 and capitalised on the pressure moment to wrap up a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 win, in a match where she secured five breaks compared to her rival’s three.

Later on, world No. 40 Katie Boulter stepped onto the court with the responsibility of overcoming the experienced Tatjana Maria (No. 81) and sealing the win before the decisive doubles rubber, where the Germans were clear favourites. The opening set was a shaky one for Boulter, who was broken early and fell 0-3 behind. Maria used her experience to manage the lead effectively, holding serve comfortably and converting a break point late in the set to close it out 6-1. It was a surprising blow for Boulter, the clear favourite, who failed to win a single point behind her second serve – a weakness Maria fully exploited.

In the second set, Boulter began to find her rhythm, with both players holding serve until 2-2. Maria broke first, but Boulter responded with a break of her own before stringing together four consecutive games – converting both break points she had – to take the set 6-3. Her first serve percentage rose to 74%, compared to just 41% for Maria.

In the final stretch of the match, Boulter was in complete control. An early break gave her confidence, and her serving performance showed marked improvement. Leading 2-1, she once again went on a winning run and produced a near-flawless set to claim victory 6-1, conceding just one point on serve (92%) and winning 65% of return points, converting all three break opportunities. It was a hard-fought 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 win that secured the tie for Great Britain.

Harriet Dart (No. 62 in doubles) teamed up with Olivia Nicholls (No. 31), while the German pair featured the experienced Laura Siegemund (doubles No. 22 – former US Open champion) and Anna-Lena Friedsam (doubles No. 683 – former world No. 35).

The German duo proved to be the more established team, having regularly partnered over the past ten years – both on the WTA Tour and representing Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. After a balanced start, the Germans displayed greater consistency on serve, and a single break midway through the first set gave them the edge to take it 6-4.

In the second set, they once again dominated on serve, not facing a single break point, while converting 3 out of 4 break opportunities to seal a 6-4, 6-1 victory. It was a win for pride for Germany, who nonetheless finish bottom of their group in the BJK Cup Qualifiers.