Slovakia knocked out Australia to move into the Billie Jean King Cup semifinals for the first time since 2002 after singles victories by Viktoria Hruncakova and Rebecca Sramkova gave the them an unassailable 2-0 lead on Sunday.
Hruncakova overcame Kimberly Birrell with a hardfought 7-5 6-7(4) 6-3 win in a match lasting two hours and 30 minutes.
Power 🆙
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) November 17, 2024
Unbelievable shot from Hruncakova🔥#BJKCup pic.twitter.com/sGrNuVFLdG
Hruncakova, 126 places below Birrell in the rankings, hit 32 winners while the Australian made 37 unforced errors.
World number 43 Sramkova stunned Ajla Tomljanovic with a ruthless performance, beating the former Wimbledon and US Open quarterfinalist 6-1 6-2. Tomljanovic was struggling with a knee issue.
The moment @RebeccaSramkova sent Slovakia into the semi-finals 🤍💙❤️#BJKCup pic.twitter.com/vzOQvT5O7S
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) November 17, 2024
Slovakia had shocked record 18-time champions the United States on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals.
Slovakia will face either defending champions Canada or Britain for a place in the final. Poland and Italy have booked their places in the last four.