Poland defeated Romania 3:0 in the decisive tie to win the Billie Jean King Cup Group B qualifying tournament at Arena Gorzów. In April, Poland will compete for a place in the BJK Cup Finals in Shenzhen.
BKT Advantage Bielsko-Biała representative Linda Klimovicova won Poland’s first point on Sunday, defeating Elena Ruxandra Bertea 6:2, 6:1 in just 64 minutes. Linda thus made an excellent national team debut. On Friday, she had also won the doubles rubber against New Zealand alongside Martyna Kubka.
Sunday’s singles match was evenly contested only in the opening games. Klimovicova’s opponent managed to hold serve twice, but from 2:2 the 21-year-old representing Poland took control and won the next four games to claim the opening set.
The second set began even better for the Olomouc-born player, who gave her opponent no chance and raced to a 5:0 lead. The Romanian held serve after the change of ends, but moments later Klimovicova won a love game to secure the first point for Poland.
– Of course, I was very nervous before my first singles match for the national team. But I am incredibly happy that I managed to win a point for my team. The support of the fans and my teammates helped me a lot, and the nerves disappeared after two games. I am truly happy to be part of this amazing team – Klimovicova said after the match.
In the second singles match, Iga Świątek defeated Gabriela Lee 6:2, 6:0. The WTA world No. 2 thereby put the proverbial dot over the “i”, securing the winning point in the BJK Cup Group B qualifying tournament.
The excitement did not end there in a sold-out Arena Gorzów, which holds more than five thousand spectators. The final 3:0 scoreline was completed by the doubles team led by experienced Katarzyna Kawa, who partnered Martyna Kubka to defeat Mara Gae and Monica Niculescu 6:2, 6:3, giving Poland an emphatic tournament victory without dropping a set.
