Instead, Sonay Kartal <\/a>would face Marie Bouzkova <\/a>in the opening match of the tie in Shenzhen.<\/p>\n It was Kartal\u2019s first tennis match since Indian Wells after the Brit\u2019s long road to recovery but you wouldn\u2019t notice it in the early stages.<\/p>\n The Brit produced some dominant tennis early on to break for a 2-0 lead before Bouzkova broke back immediately in the following game.<\/p>\n There was some aggressive and proactive tennis from Bouzkova but Kartal produced some stunning tennis under pressure to ride the Bouzkova storm.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Kartal\u2019s rusty tennis showed its colours in the opening set tiebreak as Bouzkova dominated the tiebreak to take the tiebreak 7-2.<\/p>\n As per usual, Kartal wasn\u2019t about to give up now as she pressed the reset button and once again broke in her first return game of the set.<\/p>\n This time Kartal refused to let the lead slip despite a flurry of Bouzkova chances in the second set.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In the final set, it looked like it was going to be Kartal\u2019s day as she played some stunning tennis to break serve for a 2-1 lead.<\/p>\n However, fatigue was starting to show from Kartal and Bouzkova played some stunning tennis especially on the backhand side to capitalize.<\/p>\n Four games in a row saw Bouzkova in touching distance of victory but to close the match out wouldn\u2019t be easy as nerves set in.<\/p>\n Once again Kartal\u2019s \u2018never say die\u2019 attitude set in as the Brit gained the break back and saved match points to force this match into new depths.<\/p>\n That wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n This meant that Katie Boulter <\/a>had to win her contest against Linda Noskova <\/a>in order to keep the tie alive.<\/p>\n It wouldn\u2019t be an easy challenge against the Wimbledon champion and the early stages showed exactly why.<\/p>\n An impressive serving display and some incredible variety saw Noskova race into an early 4-1 lead with a double break lead.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n There was some confident and proactive tennis as she was starting to read Noskova\u2019s patterns of play but there was still a lack of threat on return.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n That would not happen as Noskova proved deadly in the tiebreak and extended Czechia\u2019s stay in Shenzhen.<\/p>\n As for Great Britain they headed home and will now have to compete in next year\u2019s qualifiers.<\/p>\n After the tie captain Anne Keothavong acknowledged it was always going to be a tough tie and praised the strength of the Czech team.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was always going to be a tough challenge against the Czechs,\u201d Keothavong told the LTA website<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFor 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\u2019t fault their efforts. I think the Czechs are the strongest team here. I\u2019d be surprised if they don\u2019t go on to win this competition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
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