Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula-less USA stunned in Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2024 by underdogs Slovakia, fail to reach SF for 3rd straight year
The 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals produced an early upset as record 18-time champions the United States were eliminated in the first round. Without star players Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, the heavyweights lost to underdogs Slovakia on November 14.
The United States was vying to qualify for the quarterfinals at the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in three years, and expected to sail through to the next round of the tournament after being pitted against Slovakia. However, the European side turned the tables and defeated the Americans over three ties in Malaga, Spain.
Team United States enlisted Danielle Collins, Taylor Townsend, Peyton Stearns, Caroline Dolehide, and Ashlyn Krueger in the absence of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. Townsend began the action for the Americans by taking on reigning Australian Open girls and Wimbledon girls champion Renata Jamrichova in the singles match.
The 17-year-old Slovak did well to keep Townsend, currently ranked World No. 69 in singles, on her toes, but the American ultimately prevailed 7-5, 6-4 to give her side a 1-0 advantage. In the second singles match, Slovak No. 1 Rebecca Sramkova locked horns against World No. 11 Danielle Collins.
Sramkova, who rose to World No. 43 after three WTA 250 Finals (including a title in Hua Hin) in the last two months, gave her best to get the better of Collins in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 and kept Slovakia alive in the tournament. The deciding doubles tie featured Townsend and Krueger against Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova.
The Slovaks took the one-set advantage after breaking the Americans twice, only for the latter to level the score in a similar fashion in the second set. A super-tiebreaker was required to decide the victor, and the Slovaks raced to a 9-2 lead. However, the Americans held their nerves and staved off six match points. Hruncakova and Mihalikova finally got over the hump at the seventh time of asking and won the match 6-3, 3-6, 10-8.
Consequently, Slovakia knocked the United States out of the tournament 2-1. The loss also extended the American title drought for at least one more year. They last won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2017, beating Belarus in the title contest.
Slovakia to face Australia in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals QF after beating United States
Slovakia qualified for their first quarterfinals at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals since 2013, when they reached the semifinals. They will now face off against seven-time champions Australia on November 17. Team Australia, featuring Ajla Tomljanovic, Olivia Gadecki, Daria Saville, Kimberly Birrell, and Ellen Perez, is seeded fourth at the tournament and received a first-round bye.
Meanwhile, Japan, without their headliner Naomi Osaka, also emerged victorious in their first-round contest at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals on November 14. They took down the Romanians over three matches, 2-1. Ana Bogdan gave Romania an early advantage, but Ena Shibahara won the second singles contest, and her compatriots Eri Hozumi and Shuko Aoyama triumphed in the doubles match to send Japan to the quarterfinals.
Two more first-round ties are yet to be completed at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Hosts Spain will take on Iga Swiatek-led Poland, with the victor facing the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, and Germany up against Emma Raducanu-led United Kingdom to earn the privilege of facing defending champions Canada.