BNP Paribas World Team Cup: Women's and Junior finalists decided
The Netherlands will play Japan in the BNP Paribas World Team Cup women’s World Group final for the ninth time since 2001 on Saturday in Antalya, Turkiye, while Great Britain and the USA will meet in the junior final at the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event.
Women’s World Group semi-finals
Top seeds and 33-time women’s champions the Netherlands beat France 3-0 in Friday’s semi-finals.
However, that doesn’t quite tell the whole story, with world No.3 Diede de Groot edging out Pauline Deroulede 7-6(3) 7-5 after being 5-2 down in the second set.
Deroulede was De Groot’s first top 20 opponent this week in Antalya as the multiple ITF World Champion makes her comeback to international competition following planned hip surgery in the latter stages of 202. However, Deroulede was not quite able to take a set off De Groot for the first time, having previously won no more than six games in four previous matches against De Groot.
Aniek van Koot put the semi-final out of the reach of the French team after winning her singles match against Ksenia Chasteau 6-1 6-0 before Jinte Bos and Lizzy de Greef added victory in the doubles.
The other semi-final also produced two straight sets wins as Japan beat Great Britain 2-0, Saki Takamuro defeating Cornelia Oosthuizen 6-3 6-1 before world No. 1 Yui Kamiji eased past British No. 1 Lucy Shuker 6-1, 6-1.
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Junior World Group semi-finals
Great Britain will contest the junior final for the fifth time since 2019 after a compelling 2-1 semi-final win which the fourth seeds beat top seeds Belgium in a deciding match tie-break in the deciding doubles match.
Ruben Harris, who is hoping to be on a winning Great Britain team for the second time in three years, and Lucas de Gouveia, beat Luna Gryp and Alexander Lantermann 6-3 3-6 10-7 after the four players had met in the singles matches, with Lantermann defeating Harris to force the doubles decider.
Reigning junior champions the USA also had a difficult time in their semi-final against Brazil, despite ultimately earning a 2-0 victory. Sabina Czauz edged past Vitoria Miranda 6-4 5-7 7-5 and Maximus Wong finished strongly to defeat Maximus Wong 6-7(5) 6-0 6-0.
Saturday’s fifth and penultimate day of play will also feature the women’s and junior bronze medal play-offs and men’s and quad World Group semi-finals.
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for all ties and matches during the six days of competition will be available here.