Narrow defeat hurts so much – Keothavong

GREAT Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup team were left with an agonising sense of what might have been after losing a deciding doubles tie-break to Australia in the semi-finals of the tournament in Glasgow on Saturday, writes Eleanor Crooks.

Playing in the last four for the first time in 41 years after Thursday’s remarkable whitewash of Spain, Anne Keothavong’s side had high hopes of emulating Sue Barker and Virginia Wade, who led Britain to their fourth final in 1981.

Heather Watson lost the opening rubber 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) to Storm Sanders, but Harriet Dart followed up her victory over 13th-ranked Paula Badosa by upsetting world number 33 Ajla Tomljanovic 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to take it to the wire.

Doubles duo Alicia Barnett and Olivia Nicholls had been Britain’s revelation of the week on their international debut, but they were just unable to conjure a third victory, losing out in a deciding tie-break 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (5-7), 10-6 to the Sanders and Sam Stosur.

“God we were close,” said Keothavong, pictured. “I’m just gutted for everyone, but also I think we have to try and keep things in perspective. What a fantastic week it really has been for the team.

“I don’t know how many people gave us much of a chance really to even come through the group stages.

“It really is a fantastic achievement to reach the semi-finals, but we felt we could have gone further. That’s why it hurts so much.

“It’s going to hurt the players for a while, but they’ll get over it. They can still hold their heads high because they really have shown what they are capable of under a huge amount of pressure to deliver, and in the end it came down to a few points.”

Playing as number one in the absence of the injured Raducanu, Dart relished the occasion, saying: “It’s a bit wild. Honestly, it’s such an honour to be able to be here let alone playing as the number one.”