Rybakina leads Kazakhstan past Australia in Billie Jean King Cup thriller

Elena Rybakina delivered a clutch performance to secure Kazakhstan’s 2-1 victory over Australia in their Billie Jean King Cup Group D qualifier held in Brisbane on Thursday. The 2022 Wimbledon champion overcame an early stumble to defeat Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 7-6(4), sealing the decisive point for her team.

After falling behind early in the first set, Rybakina responded with a series of powerful forehands and drew even after six games before wrapping up the opener with an ace. Birrell surged to a 5-1 lead in the second set and even had a set point, but Rybakina stormed back with dominant baseline play to edge out the win in a tense tiebreak.

"It was such a difficult match," said Rybakina, who now holds an 8-2 singles record in Billie Jean King Cup action since making her debut in 2021. "I'm super happy to bring the win for the team ... it's always nice to be back in Australia."

Earlier in the day at Pat Rafter Arena, Yulia Putintseva put Kazakhstan ahead with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 win over Australian debutant Maya Joint. Australia struck back in the doubles as Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez defeated Anna Danilina and Zhibek Kulambayeva 6-3, 6-4 to level the tie before Rybakina sealed the outcome.

In other qualifiers, Czech Republic edged Brazil 2-1 in Ostrava in Group B, while the Netherlands shut out Germany 3-0 in The Hague in Group F. Poland, competing without world number two Iga Swiatek, who opted to focus on clay court training, recorded a dominant 3-0 win over Switzerland in Radom in Group E.

The United States will face Denmark in Group C on Saturday, although the team has seen withdrawals from Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, and a third unnamed player ahead of the three-day tie.

This year's Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers feature six round-robin groups of three teams each. Group winners will advance to the season-ending Finals in Shenzhen, joining host nation China and defending champions Italy.

SportsLigue