Iga Swiatek finds Billie Jean King Cup joy, ATP Tour Finals sets up Australian Open draw
This week, Jannik Sinner further stamped his authority on men’s tennis by winning the ATP Tour Finals against Taylor Fritz. Elsewhere, the Billie Jean King Cup took center stage on the women’s tour and Nick Kyrgios announced his return to the sport.
The end to a season Iga Swiatek needed?
She split with her coach, breaking up a partnership that won four Grand Slams.
She lost her No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka.
She lost a match to Coco Gauff, in a rivalry she leads 12-2.
Then Iga Swiatek went to the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga to play team tennis for Poland and got back on track. She battled back from dropping several healthy leads against Linda Noskova, who knocked her out of the Australian Open in January, then walked on court 30 minutes after that with Katarzyna Kawa for a 6-2, 6-4 win over Marie Bouzkova and doubles world No. 1 Katerina Siniakova to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 and move into the semifinals.
Swiatek skipped the past two editions to recover from the WTA Tour Finals. A flourish of wins and camaraderie in Malaga appears to be just what the doctor ordered at the start of her new partnership with Wim Fissette.
Will rankings help Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup?
Great Britain’s doubles players Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls have been spectators at the Billie Jean King Cup.
Britain have beaten Germany and 2023 champions Canada 2-0 with all four victories in straight sets — thanks to the excellent performances of singles players Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu.
The pair are No. 24 and No. 58 in the world but their rankings would be closer were it not for Raducanu’s various injuries over the last few years. They play to a very similar level and both raise their game in a team environment.
Great Britain’s singles team effectively features two players worthy of top singles billing, a handy advantage when the second-tier players by world ranking go head-to-head in the opening rubber of a tie. Raducanu led off for Great Britain against Germany and Canada and was a level above her opponent. She thrashed world No. 91 Jule Niemeier 6-2, 6-2 in the win over Germany on Friday and then beat Canada’s world No. 103 Rebecca Marino 6-0, 7-5. Boulter followed up with straight-sets victories of her own.
Next up for Britain is a semifinal on Tuesday against Team USA’s conquerors Slovakia, with world No. 41 Rebecca Sramkova in remarkable form. If Boulter and Raducanu keep playing the way they are then Watson and Nicholls will remain as active on the Malaga match court as the rest of us watching.
