USA, Japan win to qualify for BJK Cup finals
PARIS: The USA and Japan became the final teams to book their place at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals with 2-1 victories over Slovakia and Canada respectively on Sunday.
The USA took an unassailable 2-0 lead against Slovakia in Group C after the two singles rubbers in Bratislava, before the hosts claimed the doubles on a retirement.
Earlier in Tokyo, victory in the deciding doubles rubber put Japan top of Group A and meant they and the USA will be heading to Shenzhen in September to join hosts China, defending champions Italy and fellow qualifying group winners Ukraine, Spain, Great Britain and Kazakhstan.
Hailey Baptiste got the Americans off to a flyer against last year's runners-up in the first singles rubber, beating Renata Jamrichova 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 29 minutes.
Bernarda Pera then held her nerve to book the USA's place in China this autumn with a 7-6 (7/2), 7-5 victory against Slovakian No 1 Rebecca Sramkova.
"Honestly, I'm so overwhelmed by the emotions, so happy," Pera said.
"This has been one of the best weeks ever. I had so much fun with the team; the girls are amazing, I got so much support from all of them and I'm super happy."
Slovakia picked up a consolation point in the doubles when American Asia Muhammad was forced to retire through illness when trailing 0-3 in the first set to Tereza Mihalikova and Mia Pohankova.
'NOT THE END'
In Group A, Canada and Japan had both blanked Romania 3-0 in their opening matches, setting up the head-to-head finale which was played out in front of a noisy Tokyo crowd.
The Canadians made the better start with Victoria Mboko edging Ena Shibahara over three sets, 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5.
Moyuka Uchijima then levelled the tie when she breezed through the second match against Marina Stakusic, winning 6-3, 6-3.
That left everything on the doubles where Japan could call on the experienced Shuko Aoyama, now 37, and Shibahara against Rebecca Marino and Kayla Cross.
The Japanese took the first set 6-3 but the Canadians hit back strongly to lead 5-1 in the second, at which point they wobbled, losing four games in a row.
They held their nerve to break again and take the set 7-5 but were immediately in trouble in the decider when Marino was broken.
As pressure mounted and errors crept into the Canadians' game, the Japanese pair turned the screw to see out a 6-2 final set which qualified them for the China showpiece.
"I'm really happy that I got the doubles done today," said Shibahara.
"This is not the end," said Japanese captain Ai Sugiyama. "We're really looking forward to go to Shenzhen.
"It feels great. The first match wasn't our way, the second match, Moyuka played really great, and then the doubles could go either way and we fought for every point. We got through and it was an unbelievable day."
The BJK Cup qualifiers featured six groups of three nations with the winners booking a ticket to the eight-team final tournament. — AFP
Billie Jean King Cup results
Group A
In Tokyo, Japan
Japan bt Canada 2-1
Victoria Mboko (CAN) bt Ena Shibahara (JPN) 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5; Moyuka Uchijima (JPN) bt Marina Stakusic (CAN) 6-3, 6-3; Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara (JPN) bt Rebecca Marino/Kayla Cross (CAN) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
- Japan win Group A and qualify for the finals
Group C
In Bratislava, Slovakia
USA bt Slovakia 2-1
Hailey Baptiste (USA) bt Renata Jamrichova (SVK) 6-3, 6-4; Bernarda Pera (USA) bt Rebecca Sramkova (SVK) 7-6 (7/2), 7-5; Tereza Mihalikova/Mia Pohankova (SVK) bt Desirae Krawczyk/Asia Muhammad (USA) 3-0 ret
- USA win Group C and qualify for the finals
Also qualified for finals:
China (hosts), Italy (defending champions), Spain (Group B winners), Kazakhstan (Group D), Ukraine (Group E), Great Britain (Group F)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
03-06-2025
- Observer
Japan's baseball legend Nagashima dies at 89
TOKYO: Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani led the tributes to Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima following his death on Tuesday aged 89. Known as "Mr Pro Baseball", Nagashima starred for Japan's most popular team, the Yomiuri Giants, winning nine straight Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973. He formed a lethal partnership with Sadaharu Oh, who holds the world record for hitting the most home runs, and the pair are credited with cementing baseball's status as Japan's favourite sport. Their batting exploits captivated a Japanese public enjoying new economic prosperity out of the ruins of World War II, with families tuning in to watch games on black and white televisions. Nagashima's outsized personality and easy charisma made him a popular public figure and symbol of a confident new Japan. He hit a dramatic walk-off home run to seal a win for the Giants in the first professional game ever attended by Japan's emperor in 1959. "May your soul rest in peace," Ohtani wrote on Instagram to his 9.5 million followers, along with a picture of himself with Nagashima. Oh also paid tribute, telling reporters that he was "really shocked" to learn of his former team-mate's death. "I'm really disappointed that Mr Nagashima, who shines brightly in the history of Japanese baseball, has departed after a long bout with illness," the 85-year-old Oh was quoted as saying by the Kyodo news agency. "He taught me a lot of things. I'm grateful to have been able to play with him." Nagashima retired in 1974 after a 17-year playing career during which he won the Central League batting title six times and was home run king twice. He played in 2,186 games and hit 444 home runs. He also had two stints as the Giants' manager, winning two Japan Series titles over 15 seasons. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said Nagashima was "a sunny person". "He left so many brilliant records in the world of professional baseball for many years and gave bright dreams and hopes to society as a national star," he said.
Observer
01-06-2025
- Observer
Paul reaches French Open quarters
PARIS: World number 12 Tommy Paul blitzed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 on Sunday to become the first American male player to reach the French Open quarter-finals in 22 years. Paul matched Andre Agassi's run from 2003 after Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men in round four of the clay court Grand Slam. Paul also became the only active American player to reach the last eight on all three surfaces after his 2023 Australian Open semi-final and 2024 Wimbledon quarter-final runs. "I am very happy to get a straight sets win. I have been playing some very long matches so that felt really good," Paul, who spent almost 11 hours on court in his previous three rounds, which included two five-setters, said in a post-match interview. Tommy Paul in action during his 4th round match. — Reuters "Shorter matches like this help a lot." The 28-year-old found himself a break down after the first game, before immediately resetting the match's trajectory, breaking straight back to correct his early setback. Popyrin, a former junior champion in Paris like Paul, had not lost a set in his run to the fourth round but found himself a set down when he was broken again, with Paul's superior movement and clinical shot-making handing him the first set. The Australian, constantly turning to his box to express his frustration, was clearly rattled with Paul attacking at every chance and with Popyrin's second serve proving a weakness. He was broken again at the start of the second set with Paul now firing on all cylinders and hitting winners at will. The American added another break to land the set before going 3-0 up in the third and finishing off his 25th-seeded opponent in less than two hours. He will now face either second seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or fellow American Ben Shelton. — Reuters
Muscat Daily
24-05-2025
- Muscat Daily
Oman defeat Canada in rain-affected match for hat-trick of victories in ICC League 2
Muscat – Oman continued their impressive form in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 with their third consecutive win, defeating Canada by 18 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method at the Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, USA, on Friday. The result not only reinforced Oman's growing momentum but also helped them solidify third place in the standings with 24 points from 19 matches, level with the second-placed USA but trailing on net run rate, while the Americans still have a game in hand. Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Canada struggled to build momentum against a disciplined Omani bowling attack and were bowled out for 212 in 48.4 overs. Captain Navneet Dhaliwal anchored the innings with a patient 73 off 120 balls, while Mansab Gill chipped in with a solid 59 from 65 deliveries. Oman's bowlers shared the spoils, with Shakeel Ahmed impressing with 2 for 21 in his nine overs. Mujibur Ali also picked up two key wickets, while Mohammad Nadeem struck twice in the death overs to prevent any late surge. Canada lost their last three wickets for just one run, slipping from 211 to 212 all out. In response, Oman looked composed in the chase, reaching 108 for 3 in 23.1 overs before heavy rain forced a premature end to the game. At that stage, they were ahead of the DLS par score (91), securing an 18-run victory. Top scorer Hammad Mirza struck 31 off 33 balls, including five boundaries, while skipper and previous match centurion Jatinder Singh added 27. Mujibur Ali remained unbeaten on 23, playing a steady hand in the middle. Debutant Aryan Bisht was unbeaten on 11 when match was called off. This marked Oman's second win over Canada this week, having already beaten them by 15 runs on Monday. Mendis' men will play hosts USA in the concluding match of the tri-series on May 27. Earlier, on Wednesday, Jatinder Singh produced a masterclass under pressure, scoring a sublime century and later finishing the job in the Super Over as Oman edged hosts USA. Jatinder's knock of 100 from 101 balls laid the foundation for Oman's total of 266. But it was his nerveless striking in the one-over shootout, where he smashed 13 off just 4 balls, that sealed a thrilling win for Mendis' side, helping Oman leapfrog Scotland into third place on the eight-team table. The latest result leaves Oman with 24 points (W11, L6, NR2) from 19 matches — tied on points with the second-placed USA, who have a superior net run rate (+0.731) and a game in hand. Oman have a NRR of +0.065. The Netherlands lead the table with 26 points from 20 games. Scotland are fourth with 20 points (W9, L5, NR2) from 16 matches, while Canada remain fifth with 20 points (W9, L8, NR2) from 19 outings. The top four teams in League 2 will qualify directly for the 10-team ICC World Cup Qualifier, with the remaining four having to compete in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier playoff. Brief scores: Canada 212 all out in 48.4 overs (Navneet Dhaliwal 73, Mansab Gill 59; Shakeel Ahmed 2/21, Mujibur Ali 2/35, Mohammad Nadeem 2/9 lost to Oman 108/3 in 23.1 overs -D/L target: 91 runs from 23.1 overs (Hammad Mirza 31, Jatinder Singh 27, Mujibur Ali 23*). Oman won by 18 runs (DLS method)
