Keothavong sets UK women a challenge

Captain Anne Keothavong challenged Britain’s female tennis players to start achieving their potential after Katie Boulter starred in a Billie Jean King Cup victory over Mexico.

Boulter won two matches to secure a 3-1 victory in the behindclosed-doors play-off at the National Tennis Centre in London, maintaining Britain’s place at the elite level of the competition formerly known as Fed Cup.

Britain suffered a hiccup on Saturday morning when Heather Watson was beaten by 285th-ranked Marcela Zacarias but Boulter once again showed she is more than capable of handling pressure situations with a 6-4 6-1 victory over Giuliana Olmos, her seventh win from eight singles matches.

The victory sends Britain through to a firstround match next February, where they will have another shot at qualifying for the 12-team finals event.

● Dan Evans, beaten by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Monte Carlo Masters singles semi-finals on Saturday, lost the doubles final with Neal Skupski yesterday. The British pair were beaten 6-3 4-6 10-7 by Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic.