MALAGA, Spain — Slovakia adopted up its win over the US with a 2-0 victory over Australia to achieve the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup finals on Sunday.
Rebecca Sramkova cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Ajla Tomljanovic to clinch Slovakia the victory after Viktoria Hruncakova rallied to defeat Kimberly Birrell 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-3 for her sixth straight BJK Cup win (counting singles and doubles).
Slovakia had crushed the U.S. — the competitors’s most profitable nation — within the first spherical of the finals in Malaga.
Iga Swiatek’s Poland, in search of its first title, will face Italy within the semifinals.
Final yr, the Italians had been runners-up to defending champion Canada, which faces Nice Britain within the different quarterfinal Sunday.