Russian team (Photo: Twitter/Billie Jean King Cup)
The Russian Tennis Federation claimed Billie Jean King Cup by defeating Switzerland on Saturday in the championship tie to claim the premier team competition in women’s tennis for the fifth time.
They put an end to that 13-year drought after Daria Kasatkina and Liudmila Samsonova picked up singles wins to build an insurmountable 2-0 lead over the Swiss squad and capture the cup at the O2 Arena in Prague. The Russians denied Switzerland their maiden Billie Jean King Cup championship. The Swiss finish as runners-up for the second time, along with their finalist showing in 1998 when they fell to five-time champions Spain.
Kasatkina got the Russians off on the right foot with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Jil Teichmann of Switzerland in the opening match. In the first meeting between the pair, World No.28 Kasatkina ousted World No.39 Teichmann in an hour and 19 minutes.
The cup was clinched when World No.40 Samsonova ousted 17th-ranked Belinda Bencic in a three-set comeback, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, after 2 hours and 22 minutes of gripping tennis.
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