Zidansek and Juvan help Slovenia upstage the Netherlands

Slovenia defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in a battle of heavyweights on the opening day of the Group ‘G’ Billie Jean King Cup play-offs right here on Friday.

Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek (World no. 162) and Kaja Juvan (98) raised the bar by defeating higher-ranked opponents in Arantxa Rus (139) and Suzan Lamens (87) respectively.

The tone was set by 2021 French Open semifinalist Zidansek, who made brief work of southpaw Rus. Zidansek was in her component within the first set, pouncing on brief balls with venom.

The 34-year-old Rus got here alive within the second set, going for winners and hitting deep, flat groundstrokes. A detailed tie-break beckoned, which ended with the constant Zidansek taking the honours.

Tamara Zidanšek defeated Arantxa Rus to place Slovenia forward.
| Photograph Credit score:
Ok. MURALI KUMAR

The S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium courts noticed massive bounce, with the ball usually rearing above the top. Tamara, adept at whipping an overhead forehand, tailored to the circumstances with ease. Tamara additionally did nicely to hurry to the web when her strategy shot discovered the corners, permitting her to shut out factors with clear volleys.

Juvan and Lamens, the 2 finest gamers within the group, went toe-to-toe in a high quality outing. Lamens smacked highly effective forehands at will, whereas the lean, tall Juvan stretched each sinew to retrieve sure winners.

Juvan overturned a 2-5 drawback to win the primary set 7-6. Lamens then pressured a decider, holding serve at essential junctures to shut out the second set.

The 24-year-old Juvan quickly shifted gears, hitting down-the-line backhand winners when Lamens lobbed in weak second serves. The fixed strain took a toll on Lamens, who completed second finest on the finish of a two-hour, 34-minute slugfest.

Host India takes on heavy favorite Slovenia on Saturday. If Slovenia defeats India, the previous will emerge as an early winner on this three-team group.

The consequence:Slovenia bt the Netherlands 2-1 (Tamara Zidansek bt Arantxa Rus 6-1, 7-6(6);  Kaja Juvan bt Suzan Lamens 7-6(7), 4-6, 6-3; Dalila Jakupovic & Nika Radisic misplaced to Lamens & Demi Schuurs 4-6, 0-6).