Iga Swiatek and Magda Linett sealed a 2-0 win for Poland over Spain in the first round of the Billie Jean King Final in Malaga.
Linette came back from 0-3 down to beat Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-4 in a marathon match that lasted 3 hours and 51 minutes.
Linette earned an early break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Sorribes Tormo broke back after six deuces. Linette broke serve in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. Sorribes Tormo pulled back on serve on her fifth break point. The opening set headed to a tie-break after four breaks of serve. Sorribes Sormo went up a mini-break twice in the tie-break, but Linette pulled back on serve both times.
Linette hit a backhand winner down the line to earn a set point at 7-6 before sealing the win with another mini-break after 93 minutes.
Sorribes Tormo took a 3-0 lead with a break in the second game of the third set. Linette converted her third break-back point in the fifth game and saved two break points to hold after four deuces for 3-3. Linette broke in the seventh game at 15 and was just five points from the win at 4-3 40-0. Linette fired a backhand winner down the line to break serve earning a chance to serve out the match at 5-4. Sorribes Tormo saved the match point with a high lob on the sideline, but Linette saved a break-back point and held her nerve to close it out on her second match point.
Linette had lost all four of her previous matches against Sorribes Tormo, including at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
“I hate playing Sara so much. I knew it was going to take me the four hours and it did. I am so happy. I have never beaten her before and I gave everything I had today”, said Linette.
Iga Swiatek overcame a second-set loss to beat Paula Badosa 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-1. Swiatek and Badosa had tied 1-1 in their previous head-to-head matches. Badosa beat Swiatek 6-3 7-6 (7-4) at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Swiatek avenged this defeat by beating Badosa in the WTA Finals in Guadalajara.
Both players went on serve without facing any break points in the first six games. Swiatek broke serve at 3-2 after Badosa double faulted at 3-2. The five-time Grand Slam champion reeled off seven consecutive games to take a 3-0 lead in the second set, but Badosa fought back to send the second set to the tie-break. The Spanish player clinched the tie-break 7-5 to force the match to the third set. Both players exchanged three breaks at the start of the third set. Swiatek stopped the streak by holding serve for 3-1. The Polish player earned the double break to extend their lead to 4-1. The Pole held on her next service games to close out the match.
Poland will face 11-time champions Czech Republic.
