Emma Raducanu again got Great Britain off to a winning start in the Billie Jean Cup Finals, a 6-4 6-4 victory over Viktoria Hruncakova putting them 1-0 up in their semi-final against Slovakia.
Raducanu – who triumphed in straight sets in Britain’s prior wins over Germany and defending-champions Canada – came flying out of the blocks against Hruncakova, immediately breaking the world No 238.
Raducanu had to then fend off three break points on her own opening service game before opening up a 5-1 lead with a second break of her opponent.
The 2021 US Open champion faltered a touch when closing out the first set, spurning a set point when broken back, but eventually converted her third.
The second set followed a similar pattern, Raducanu earning a double break at 5-2, only to be broken back when serving for the match.
But the 22-year-old eventually closed things out for a 6-4 6-4 win that puts Great Britain one win away from a first appearance in the final for 43 years.
“Every match is extremely challenging, and I think as the tournament progresses it’s even more so,” Raducanu said in her on-court interview.
“Today was a really tough battle because my opponent has a huge ball strike and, despite her ranking, she plays much above that.
“I’m really happy to come through that because I’ve lost to her before (in 2023 in Auckland).”
British No 1 Katie Boulter, who is also yet to drop a set in the Finals, faces Rebecca Sramkova – ranked 43rd in the world – in the second tie of the semi-final.
Olivia Nicholls and Heather Watson will play in a deciding doubles match if necessary, but they have yet to be required by Great Britain so far this week.
Italy await the winners in the final. The four-time champions booked a second-successive appearance in the final with a 2-1 victory over Poland on Monday.
World No 4 Jasmine Paolini and her team-mate Sara Errani clinched the deciding doubles 7-5 7-5 against Iga Swiatek and Katarzyna Kawa after an extraordinary second-set comeback in Malaga.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek had battled back from a set down to defeat Paolini in their singles tie, after world No 78 Lucia Bronzetti struck first for Italy, defeating Poland’s Magda Linette – ranked 40 places higher – in straight sets.
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