Ukraine’s journey in the Billie Jean King Cup reached a historic milestone as Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk triumphed over Spain, securing their nation’s first-ever spot in the semi-finals.
Svitolina, currently ranked as world number 13, battled fiercely against Paula Badosa, ultimately emerging victorious with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 7-5. This win provided Ukraine with an insurmountable 2-0 advantage in the best-of-three series.
During the crucial third set, Svitolina had initially established a commanding 4-1 lead before Badosa, a former world number two, mounted a strong comeback.
At 5-5 in the final set, Badosa had an opportunity to break Svitolina’s serve, which, if successful, would have given her the chance to serve for the match.
However, Svitolina managed to fend off Badosa’s advances and then seized the initiative by breaking serve in the subsequent game, thus clinching the victory.
Earlier in the day, Kostyuk set the stage for Ukraine’s success with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 win against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, in Shenzhen, China.
