The message from the first day of the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs between Great Britain and Sweden at the Copper Box Arena in London could not have been clearer: the rankings are so often not important.
Great Britain had been heavily favoured to win every rubber in a match against a depleted team that lacked their top two players due to injury. Instead, it was 1-1 after the first day. In the opening rubber, Jodie Burrage suffered a brutal 6-4, 6-1 defeat against Kajsa Rinaldo Persson, losing 12 of the last 13 games to the No 372-ranked Swede. Despite the early setback, Katie Boulter quickly levelled the tie by easing past Caijsa Wilda Hennemann 6-2, 6-1.
Burrage has had to wait some time for her BJK Cup debut. Last year, the 24-year-old was frustrated not to be chosen for the finals in Glasgow. After enjoying the best season of her career this year, breaking into the top 100, she ensured she was an obvious selection for the team this time.
Early on, Burrage seemed to be handling the moment well. Her potent serve and considerably greater pace and weight of shot immediately yielded a 4-0 lead. But then it all fell apart. Her game became caked in nervous, tense, unforced errors. For the rest of the match, Burrage plainly struggled to find the court against a scrappy, consistent Persson and she won one more game.
Burrage said that even the tension of playing on Centre Court at Wimbledon paled in comparison to competing for her country in front of a sold-out arena of 5,500 fans. “It’s just so different when you’re playing for yourself and then you’re playing for a team,” she said. “It’s not just me out there. I’m playing for other people and that type of pressure.”
Anne Keothavong, the GB captain, said: “Jodie’s earned the right to go out there. She’s had a fantastic year, she’s hopefully going to finish inside the top 100. It’s going be a tough one for her to take but she’s going to have to find a way to bounce back if she’s going to keep on putting herself in position for selections.”
There has never been any doubt about Boulter’s ability to perform in this competition, where she has thrived throughout her career, even when she has been in poor form elsewhere.
With her team relying on her to dominate an opponent ranked No 532, 474 spots lower than her ranking of No 58, Boulter dominated from the beginning. She played calm, contained attacking tennis to brush aside Hennemann.
The teams return on Sunday, with the winner remaining at the top level of the Billie Jean King Cup in 2024. In the meantime, Keothavong will have to decide whether to allow Burrage to compete in the fourth rubber or to call up Harriet Dart or Heather Watson.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
“We’re going to do the best we can,” said Boulter. “We don’t use the word ‘should’. Obviously, they’re going to have a swing, they’re going to have a go and they’ve got no pressure at all. It’s my job to do what I can and I know the girls are going to do what they can.”
Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Jack Draper came up short in his first career ATP final after a brilliant week. Draper was defeated 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-3 by Adrian Mannarino in the final of the Sofia Open.
