Czech Republic beat Ukraine 2-0 to win 12th Billie Jean King Cup
Czech Republic beat Ukraine 2-0 in Shenzhen on Sunday to win the Billie Jean King Cup for the 12th time.
It is their first title since 2018. It denied Ukraine a first title in the women's team event, the World Cup of tennis, where nations play best-of-three ties of singles and doubles rubbers BBC.
Karolina Muchova put the Czechs 1-0 up with a 6-2 6-3 win over Anhelina Kalinina in the opening singles. Linda Noskova then closed out the tie by beating world No. 7 Elina Svitolina 6-3 7-6 (7-5). No deciding doubles was needed.
Muchova, this year's Wimbledon runner-up, never let Kalinina settle. She broke serve early in both sets, moved the ball wide to open the court, and finished points quickly at the net. One hour was enough. Clinical.
Noskova had to work harder. She took the first set against Svitolina with a single break, then held her nerve in a tight second. A tiebreak, first to seven points with a two-point lead required, decided it. Noskova took it 7-5 when Svitolina blinked on serve.
The scoreline matched their week. Czech Republic dropped just one set in the entire tournament in Shenzhen. They knocked out Great Britain 2-0 in the quarter-finals, then beat Spain 2-0 in the semi-finals to reach the final for the first time since 2018.
Ukraine arrived as first-time finalists after stunning holders Italy in the semi-finals Reuters. They had pushed the Czechs hard in the second rubber. They just could not force the doubles.
What makes this stand out is the continuity. Captain Barbora Strycova claimed her first Cup as captain after winning three as a player. The title moves Czech Republic to 12 overall, second only to the United States and their 18 titles in the competition's history.
