Katie Boulter has sent Great Britain through to the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup following a comprehensive victory over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.
British number three Sonay Kartal began the day’s proceedings with a 6-3, 7-6 victory against Ena Shibahara, before Boulter dominated the second rubber against Uchijima.
Boulter barely put a foot wrong as she waltzed to a 6-2, 6-1 victory against the world number 92.
Britain have never won the BJK Cup, and the nation holds the record for the most runner-up appearances without winning the title.
In 2024, the team suffered heartbreak in the semi-final, losing 1-2 to Slovakia. However, the team now have an opportunity at redemption when they take on the USA in the semi-final.
Katie Boulter says the Great Britain team have ‘showed a lot of heart’
Speaking on court after her victory, Boulter reflected on the team’s journey to the semi-final stage, while paying tribute to the British fans who made the long journey to attend the event.
Boulter said: “Sonay [Kartal] put a clinical performance out there so she makes it really easy to follow and I just tried to stay out there as much as possible, focus on myself and not think too much about the occasion, but obviously super happy to be through.
“It was nice to have some British fans here. It’s great to have them here, so yeah, really happy to be through to the next round.”
Boulter later added: “I’m so pleased. This team qualified back early in the year. We showed a lot of heart and yeah I’m just so happy for the team, they deserve to be here.
“We’re in another semi-final, we’ve got another shot at a final. Hopefully we can keep going further but I hope this is our time now.”
While Great Britain’s victory was undoubtedly impressive, the team face a completely different prospect in the semi-finals.
The likely match-ups for Great Britain vs. USA
The US BJK Cup team are arguably the strongest in the competition on paper, boasting the likes of Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and Taylor Townsend.
Kartal will likely kick off proceedings against world number 18 Emma Navarro, followed by Katie Boulter against Jessica Pegula.
If a deciding doubles match is required, one would expect Pegula and Townsend to face Boulter and Jodie Burrage, following the pair’s success in the last qualifying round against the Netherlands.
Great Britain or the US will face either defending champions Italy or Ukraine in the BJK Cup Final, after the nations defeated China and Spain respectively.
