Great Britain face Czech power as underdogs in Billie Jean King Cup quarters
Great Britain face 11-time champions Czech Republic in the Billie Jean King Cup quarter-final in Shenzhen on Tuesday, 22 September, with a place in the last four on the line.
The Billie Jean King Cup is women's tennis's world team event. A tie, the team contest, decides who goes through to the semi-finals of the 2026 Finals, which run in Shenzhen, China, from 22-27 September.
Britain have named Harriet Dart, Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Mika Stojsavljevic and Jodie Burrage in their five-player squad. They qualified for Shenzhen by beating Australia in Melbourne in April, and this is their fourth Finals appearance in five years BBC Sport.
On paper, it is rough. Czech Republic are the only team in Shenzhen with two top-10 singles players. All five members of their squad are ranked higher in singles than any of the British players.
Boulter makes no secret of the gap. She described Britain as "definite underdogs" heading into the tie. Dart struck a different note, saying: "It's best not to underestimate us."
Dart added that the match-up on paper is pretty rough but the team has strong belief it can do well. That belief has carried Britain before. They have reached the semi-finals in three of the past four seasons and are still chasing a first Billie Jean King Cup title.
History also points to the Czechs. They lead Britain 4-3 in past meetings in this competition, including a 3-2 win in the 2022 Qualifiers the last time the nations met LTA.
Coverage of the tie begins from 10:00 BST on the BBC Sport website, app and BBC iPlayer.
What makes this tie intriguing is Britain's habit of hanging around. They do not have the rankings. They do have momentum from April, recent semi-final experience and nothing to lose. Nerve wins team ties.
