Emma Raducanu leads Britain into the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. US, Poland, Japan also advance

FILE – Emma Raducanu, of Britain, holds up the US Open championship trophy after defeating Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, during the women’s singles final of the US Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, in New York. Raducanu beat Diane Parry 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1) on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Le Portel, France, to clinch Britain’s berth in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals(AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

LE PORTEL, France (AP) — Emma Raducanu clinched Britain’s berth in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals by taking the last six points of a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1) victory against Diane Parry of France on Saturday for an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five-match qualifying round.

Poland’s Iga Swiatek plays the ball during the Billie Jean King Cup qualification round tennis match against Switzerland’s Celine Naef in Biel, Switzerland, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Peter Schneider/Keystone via AP)

Poland — led by No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek — the United States, Japan, Australia and Slovakia were among the other countries that advanced to the Finals, which will be held in Seville, Spain, in November. The eight nations that emerge from qualifying join defending champion Canada, 2023 runner-up Italy, host Spain and wild-card selection Czech Republic in the 12-team Finals field.

Heading into Saturday, Ukraine led Romania 2-0, while Germany was ahead of Brazil 2-0.

Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion who missed most of last season because of injuries, also put together a comeback from a set down in her opening singles match Friday against Caroline Garcia on an indoor clay court in Le Portel, France.

This was a rematch from last year in qualifying, when France won; this time, the countries were tied 1-all after Friday. Katie Boulter beat Clara Burel 7-5, 6-0 to put Britain ahead 2-1 on Saturday, before Raducanu came through in a contest that lasted nearly 3 hours. She led Parry 5-2 in the third set, held two match points while serving for the win at 5-3 but needed the tiebreaker to close things out.

Raducanu had surgery on each wrist and one ankle in 2023. When Saturday’s win ended, she dropped her racket on the court, leaned over to place her hands on her knees, then stood with a wide smile.

“To be able to put two matches like that back to back — three sets and on clay, against really tough opponents — it’s just a testament to the work we’ve been doing,” said Raducanu, who has been as high as No. 10 in the WTA rankings and is No. 302 this week, more than 250 places below both Garcia (No. 23) and Parry (No. 49). “And I knew it would pay off, eventually. So I’m very pleased that, this weekend, it was able to show.”

Marcela Zacarias of Mexico looks up after injuring herself in her singles match against Taylah Preston of Australia during their Billie Jean King Cup tennis match in Brisbane, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Darren England/AAP Image via AP)

Britain has never won the international team competition for women.

The U.S. moved on when Jessica Pegula put the hosts ahead 3-0 against Belgium by beating Hanne Vandewinkel 6-2, 6-0 on an outdoor hard court in Orlando, Florida. The Americans have won a record 18 titles in the event that used to be known as the Fed Cup, but their last came in 2017.

Swiatek clinched a berth for Poland by defeating Switzerland’s Celine Naef 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday for a 3-0 lead. Swiatek — who has claimed Grand Slam titles at the French Open and one at the U.S. Open — also won her opening singles match on an indoor hard court at Biel, Switzerland.

Australia’s Storm Hunter, left, Ellen Perez, second left, Daria Saville, center left, Australian captain Sam Stosur, center right, Taylah Preston and Arina Rodionova, right, celebrate winning their tie against Mexico at the Billie Jean King Cup tennis in Brisbane, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Darren England/AAP Image via AP)

Japan went ahead 3-0 against Kazakhstan without needing four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka to play a second match on an indoor hard court in Tokyo. That’s because Nao Hibino beat Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7) on Saturday, after Osaka’s win against Putintseva on Friday helped the hosts go up 2-0.

Naomi Osaka of Japan reacts to spectators after defeating Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in their Billie Jean King Cup tennis match in Tokyo, Friday, April 12, 2024. (Michi Ono/Kyodo News via AP)

Slovakia moved into the Finals when 16-year-old Renata Jamrichova defeated Veronika Erjavec 6-2, 6-0 on an indoor hard court in Bratislava to give the hosts a 3-0 edge over visiting Slovenia.

Australia went up 3-0 over Mexico on an outdoor hard court in Brisbane thanks to Taylah Preston’s 6-1, 6-1 victory over Marcela Zacarias.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Naomi Osaka of Japan returns a shot against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan during their Billie Jean King Cup tennis match in Tokyo, Friday, April 12, 2024. (Michi Ono/Kyodo News via AP)

Marcela Zacarias of Mexico plays a forehand to Taylah Preston of Australia during their Billie Jean King Cup tennis match in Brisbane, Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Darren England/AAP Image via AP)