- Iga Swiatek is a size too big for the courageous Céline Naef in the qualification for the Billie Jean King Cup.
- The Polish world number 1 faces a surprising amount of resistance in the Swiss Tennis Arena Biel, but ultimately wins clearly 6:4, 6:3.
- This means that Switzerland also loses the third singles match against Poland and misses the final tournament in autumn.
Poland lived up to its favorite status in qualifying for the final tournament of the Billie Jean King Cup. After the 2-0 lead on Friday, the Poles also won the 3rd singles duel with Switzerland. In the absence of the pregnant Belinda Bencic and the injured Viktorija Golubic, the difference in Biel was too serious for a Swiss exploit to be in the air.
World number 1 Iga Swiatek took the decisive point to make it 3-0. The 4-time Grand Slam winner didn’t have to push herself to her limits to still retain the upper hand 6:4, 6:3. Naef’s performance was pleasing despite the uneventful defeat. The world number 148 entangled her opponent in long rallies from time to time and repeatedly won spectacular points.
The 18-year-old from Schwyz got off to a strong start. Against Swiatek, who was prone to errors in this phase, Naef secured the break to make it 2-1. She confirmed this with a total of 10 points in a row, hitting some points worth seeing. The Polish woman couldn’t put up with that any longer. Swiatek immediately shifted up a gear, but even after the service breakthrough to make it 3-3, it still wasn’t flawless. Ultimately the larger class prevailed, after another break it was 6:4 for Swiatek after 36 minutes.
With the lead in the set behind her, the favorite served more relaxed and confidently. Swiatek quickly made it 4-0 before Naef achieved another impressive success with the break to make it 1-4. The Swiss took advantage of the upswing and took Swiatek’s serve again. Swiatek, who was 3 years older than her, didn’t want to give her much more. After 1:20 hours she converted the first match point to make it 6:3 and thus also put the end of the duel between Switzerland and Poland. After the decision had been made, the audience in Biel was treated to the sportingly meaningless double at the end.
In the fall it’s all about “remaining in the league”
Switzerland had already suffered two defeats in the first two individual matches on Friday. Naef lost to Magdalena Frech after a fighting performance 7:6 (10:8), 5:7, 3:6. Simona Waltert had no chance against Swiatek. While Poland will qualify for the final tournament of the Billie Jean King Cup in Seville in November, Switzerland will have to fight in playoffs in the fall to take part in the 2025 qualification.
2024-04-13 12:35:00
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