By Tony FairbairnCzechia 2-0 Great BritainCaptain Anne Keothavong hailed Czechia as Great Britain exited the Billie Jean King Cup in the quarter-finals.SHENZHEN, CHINA – Sonay Kartal was satisfied with her return to tennis despite Great Britain exiting the Billie Jean King Cup.
It was disappointment for Great Britain as they were beaten by the irresistible Czechia in the quarter-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup.
The tie was always going to be a tough task against a very strong Czech side but they were boosted by the absence of Karolina Muchova.
Instead, Sonay Kartal would face Marie Bouzkova in the opening match of the tie in Shenzhen.
It was Kartal’s first tennis match since Indian Wells after the Brit’s long road to recovery but you wouldn’t notice it in the early stages.
The Brit produced some dominant tennis early on to break for a 2-0 lead before Bouzkova broke back immediately in the following game.
There was some aggressive and proactive tennis from Bouzkova but Kartal produced some stunning tennis under pressure to ride the Bouzkova storm.
Both players continued to play confident tennis as the set wore on with the opening set going to a tiebreak as Kartal showed her high level of play.
Kartal’s rusty tennis showed its colours in the opening set tiebreak as Bouzkova dominated the tiebreak to take the tiebreak 7-2.
As per usual, Kartal wasn’t about to give up now as she pressed the reset button and once again broke in her first return game of the set.
This time Kartal refused to let the lead slip despite a flurry of Bouzkova chances in the second set.
The Brit was aggressive on serve and cool under pressure as she secured a brutal second set 6-4 and levelled up the match at one set all.
In the final set, it looked like it was going to be Kartal’s day as she played some stunning tennis to break serve for a 2-1 lead.
However, fatigue was starting to show from Kartal and Bouzkova played some stunning tennis especially on the backhand side to capitalize.
Four games in a row saw Bouzkova in touching distance of victory but to close the match out wouldn’t be easy as nerves set in.
Once again Kartal’s ‘never say die’ attitude set in as the Brit gained the break back and saved match points to force this match into new depths.
That wasn’t enough to save Kartal though as Bouzkova broke once again and sealed a 1-0 lead for Czechia in what was a near three hour marathon.
This meant that Katie Boulter had to win her contest against Linda Noskova in order to keep the tie alive.
It wouldn’t be an easy challenge against the Wimbledon champion and the early stages showed exactly why.
An impressive serving display and some incredible variety saw Noskova race into an early 4-1 lead with a double break lead.
There would be increased confidence from Boulter as the set went on but it was Noskova who kept her composure to seal the opening set 6-2.
The start to the second set would be crucial for Boulter and she saved break points to hold serve which would lay the foundations for a much more confident second set.
There was some confident and proactive tennis as she was starting to read Noskova’s patterns of play but there was still a lack of threat on return.
Despite a decent return game towards the end of the set, Boulter would have to win a tiebreak in order to force a deciding set.
That would not happen as Noskova proved deadly in the tiebreak and extended Czechia’s stay in Shenzhen.
As for Great Britain they headed home and will now have to compete in next year’s qualifiers.
After the tie captain Anne Keothavong acknowledged it was always going to be a tough tie and praised the strength of the Czech team.
“It was always going to be a tough challenge against the Czechs,” Keothavong told the LTA website.
“For both these players (Sonay and Katie) it required their absolute best and a bit of luck for the result to go our way. I can’t fault their efforts. I think the Czechs are the strongest team here. I’d be surprised if they don’t go on to win this competition.”
Kartal feeling positive after tennis return
So it was defeat for the British team as the wait goes on for Billie Jean King Cup success after a disappointing showing in Shenzhen.
One of the positives was the return of Kartal who is back after six months out of action as the former British number one looks to regain her form.
Speaking after her three hour marathon, Kartal admits she’s feeling confident ahead of the rest of the Asian swing.
“For our captain to trust me to bring the level that I tried to find today, I think I wasn’t too far off, it means a lot,” Kartal explained to the LTA website.
“Regardless of how long I’ve spent off the court, I can look back at that performance and be happy. I know I had my chances, but I’m leaving here and leaving the court knowing that I put everything I had on the match court.
“I think it gives me a lot of confidence going forwards for the rest of the Asian Swing, knowing the first match back, that was the level I produced. I was pretty happy with it.”
How to Watch/Follow Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2026