Netherlands lands 31st women's World Team Cup title
Netherlands beat Japan 2-1 on the last day of the 2019 BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Ramat Hasharon, Israel to earn a 31st women’s title at the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event.
It was the fourth successive year that Netherlands faced a team from the Asian continent in the women’s final, having played China, P.R. in the decider at each of the last three World Team Cups.
After the Chinese team upset Netherlands in 2017, Japan threatened to do the same for large portions of this year’s final but ultimately Marjolein Buis and Diede de Groot found the poins that mattered to snatch the doubles rubber.
With Dutch teams having dominated the majority of the previous 30 women’s finals, Aniek van Koot suggested that there was no reason why this year’s final should be any different as the world No. 3 swept past Manami Tanaka 6-1 6-1 in 51 minutes.
However, Yui Kamiji had different plans as world No. 2 faced world No. 1 in the second singles rubber and Kamij played Diede de Groot in yet another major final. However their latest encounter was for national pride rather than ranking points or prizemoney and Kamij dominated the final set to wrap up a 3-6 6-3 6-1 win.
"Yui’s definitely my biggest rival. She’s the one who pushes me most into playing my best game and if I don’t play ny best game I won’t win, like today," said de Groot.
With just four nations on the women’s roll of honour since the very first World Team Cup women’s event in 1986, Japan made a bold bid to try and become the fifth as Momoko Ohtani and Kamiji claimed the first set of the doubles rubber on a tiebreak after saving set points at 6-5 down. But Netherlands would not be denied and Buis and de Groot found a way to win the important points in the match tiebreak, prevailing 6-7(2) 6-4 (10-8).
"I think, personally for me, it was more difficult today, because last year I won my singles and then had to play double. Today I was disappointed with myself for losing the singles and not playing very well and having to fight back into the doubles, so I think I am more proud of myself for that" added de Groot.
“It was tough going today, but we started the match tiebreak on our favourite end and we kept fighting and stuck to the plan. To win with these three girls, we had a great week and it really was a team effort,” said Buis.