Youngsters Mika Stojsavljevic and Harriet Dart pulled off a one-run victory for Great Britain to avoid reaching the Billie Jean King Cup Finals over Australia in Melbourne.
Stojsavljevic, currently ranked 275th in the world, was stunned by world No 65 Talia Gibson 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 in her Billie Jean King Cup debut in Melbourne.
The 17-year-old was a 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 winner as she overturned a 219-place gap in the WTA rankings.
The 2024 US Open juniors have given Great Britain the perfect start to the tournament as Anne Keothavong’s side look to progress in the absence of Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Katie Boulter and Fran Jones.
Stojsavljevic took an early 3-1 lead, but needed a break to take the opener and successfully defended five break points before closing out a second that included five breaks.
“It feels amazing. I can’t believe it. I can’t even remember the last point,” said Stojsavljevic. “I had amazing support from the sidelines and I was able to get through.
“Going into it, I knew he was going to have his place. Thanks to the people who supported GB today.
“It was a good game. We have very similar games, both aggressive, so I’m happy to finish.”
Harriet Dart fought back to beat Kiimberly Birrell 4-6 6-3 6-3 to leave them needing one win from three matches to qualify for the finals in Shenzhen, China from September 22-27.
“I’m really happy to have been able to take the win after Mika’s amazing performance earlier,” said Dart.
“I’m delighted to win the championship – there were a lot of ups and downs throughout the match but I finally managed to find my way.
“It’s a great privilege to play for my country and I always enjoy it as much as I can and it’s great to be able to get another win on the board.”
Dart will look to complete the tie for Britain when she meets Jodie Burrage in Saturday’s doubles rubber against Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez.
Saturday at the Billie Jean King Cup Tournament
- Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez vs Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart
- Talia Gibson vs Harriet Dart
- Kimberly Birrell vs Mika Stojsavljevic
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