Emma Raducanu faces Tereza Martincova in Billie Jean King Cup singles debut | Tennis News

World No 12 Emma Raducanu has been selected alongside Harriet Dart to play the opening singles matches for Great Britain on Friday; Raducanu is making her singles debut in the competition and the contest with Tereza Martincova will mark her first professional match on clay

Emma Raducanu is ready to make her singles debut in the Billie Jean King Cup for Great Britain

Emma Raducanu is set to face Tereza Martincova in her Billie Jean King Cup singles debut for Great Britain on Friday.

The British team are taking on the Czech Republic in the Qualifiers on clay at the Tennis Club I.CLTK Prague, the site of the 1986 finals.

The team comprises Raducanu, Harriet Dart, Katie Swan and Sonay Kartal. The winners of the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers will advance to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November, while the losers will go into Play-Offs for the 2023 Qualifiers.

World No 12 Raducanu has been selected alongside British No 2 Harriet Dart to play the opening singles matches on Friday. Dart will open the action against Marketa Vondrousova, before Raducanu takes on Martincova.

Saturday’s reverse singles will see the players swap opponents, with the potential of a deciding doubles match to follow.

Raducanu will not just be making her senior Great Britain debut on Friday, but she will also playing her first professional match on clay.

She spent a week on the surface in Italy prior to travelling to Prague and despite her feet suffering from the sliding needed to thrive on the surface, Raducanu is optimistic for the future.

“This is going to be my first professional match on clay so I’m definitely learning,” Raducanu said.

“I feel this could be one of my strongest surfaces going forward but of course, it’s early days right now. I feel like I have got a lot more potential, physically and I do enjoy sliding.

“So, after spending more time on this surface, I’m sure I’ll time it better and learn more about the surface but also just the time that the clay brings. I feel like I can really use it and play aggressive.”

Great Britain are currently ranked 15th out of 115 nations in the Billie Jean King Cup rankings, while the Czech team are ranked fifth and seeded fourth for the Qualifiers.

The Czech team are without a number of experienced faces for this tie, including French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova.

World doubles No 1 Katerina Siniakova – who won a marathon contest with Raducanu in Miami last month – was a late withdrawal for the Czechs through injury too.

The British outfit head into the tie at the Tennis Club I.CLTK Prague without considerable experience too. Johanna Konta has now retired, plus Heather Watson and Katie Boulter are missing this tie.

Dart, who recently broke into the top 100 for the first time, made her Billie Jean King singles debut two years ago, losing two tight matches against Slovakia.

Swan and 20-year-old debutante Kartal, who was Raducanu’s biggest rival as a junior, completed the quartet. The Czechs can also call on Karolina Muchova, Marie Bouzkova and 16-year-old prodigy Linda Fruhvirtova.

The British team go into the tie as the underdogs, but team captain Anne Keothavong has backed Raducanu to rise to the occasion.

“It’s a new experience for her, another new experience, but one I’m sure she’ll take in her stride and embrace,” Keothavong said. “These are exciting times, not just for Emma but for all of us here.

“We’ve got a tough challenge on our hands. Those who follow tennis will know the Czechs are one of the strongest nations, particularly in the women’s game, in the world and I think their record in this competition speaks for itself.

“So yes, we’re going to be up against it but the team have prepared well. There’s good team spirit and they’re ready to give it their best.”