In the opening round of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, held in Malaga, Spain, exciting tennis matches took place. The Polish team took a 2-0 lead over Spain after Iga Swiatek defeated Paula Badosa in three sets on Friday.
Magda Linette was a key player in giving Poland the advantage after a tightly contested battle lasting nearly four hours against Sara Sorribes, winning with a score of 7-6 (8), 2-6, 6-4. Despite committing 79 unforced errors compared to Sorribes' 26, Linette achieved more winners, 55-12.
Swiatek, who is ranked number two in the world, sealed Poland's victory by overcoming Badosa 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-1. Although Badosa managed to recover by winning the tiebreak of the second set, Swiatek demonstrated her dominance in the decisive third set.
The match between Spain and Poland was marred by a delay at the end of the third set due to a reported "medical incident" among the spectators at the Palacio de Deportes in Malaga. Despite the difficulties, Swiatek emphasized the importance of Linette's victory in the first duel and the unity of the Polish team in this competition.
Slovakia defeated the United States, Japan beat Romania, and Great Britain faced Germany in the opening round. Additionally, the match between Spain and Poland was postponed for two days due to heavy rains in southern Spain. With this victory, Poland will face the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals of the competition.
