Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider.
Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third.
Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to take the opening set after racing to a 2-0 lead. In the second, Shibahara fought back, saving three match points in the tiebreak before leveling the contest.
Photo: Reuters
Mboko trailed early in the decider, but recovered to break for 4-4, and after squandering three more match points, sealed victory with a forehand winner on her seventh.
Japanese No. 1 Moyuka Uchijima breezed past Marina Stakusic 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour, 15 minutes to level 1-1 and force the doubles decider.
Uchijima, ranked 77 places higher, won 13 straight points to take the opening set in a little more than 30 minutes with a delicate drop shot. After Stakusic saved two break points at the start of the second, Uchijima pounced for a 4-2 lead and sealed victory to rapturous home support.
On Saturday, Elina Svitolina sealed Ukraine’s berth in the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the first time with a 2-1 win over Switzerland, as Britain and Spain also advanced.
They join hosts China, defending champions Italy and Kazakhstan in the eight-team finals in Shenzhen from Sept. 16-21.
Additional reporting by AFP
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