SLOVAKIA proved too strong for reigning semi-finalists Australia in the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup overnight, denying the green and gold a place in the final four. After a tight first singles match, the Europeans easily destroyed Australia in the second with no need for the doubles and a spot in the semi-finals secured.

Coming in for her first match of the tournament, former Top 30 player Viktoria Hruncakova edged past Australian second singles player Kimberly Birrell in a tight three-set match, before Rebecca Sramkova completely destroyed top ranked Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic in 70 minutes.

It was a disappointing performance for the green and gold having made two finals and two semi-finals from the last four BJK Cup editions, with Slovakia showing that current ranking means little. The major disappointment was the meek way Tomljanovic went out, winning just three games in 70 minutes after being 1-1 in each of the sets.

In both cases, Sramkova went on a tear and never looked like being stopped, serving eight aces to two and winning 80 per cent of her first serve points compared to Tomljanovic’s 53 per cent. Similarly the Slovakian’s second serve percentage of 53 was far superior to the Aussie’s 25 per cent. Sramkova hit 11 more winners (17-6) and seven less unforced errors (10-17).

In the earlier match, Birrell put up a fight against Hruncakova, taking the second set in a tiebreaker to at least force a decider. However after two hours and 31 minutes, the Slovakian prevailed, 7-5 6-7 6-3. Hruncakova produced 15 aces to 11 and hit double the amount of winners (32-16) to secure the impressive victory.

For the small nation of Slovakia – the smallest of those at the BJK Cup Finals – it was more than just a win. The victory over both Australia and the United States – the two most successful nations through the tournament in history – meant so much more.

“For us, it’s always a big challenge to play those countries”, Hruncakova said. “We have nothing to lose. That’s why I think we enjoy it so much.

“I’m so happy with the way I played. My serve was working very well today. I was proud that in the important moments I stayed aggressive and I went for it. I gave everything I had, I played with all my heart.”

Sramkova has now won 19 of her past 23 matches – with a highlight being her victory over world number 11 Danielle Collins earlier in the tournament – and she took full advantage of Tomljanovic, who suffered a fall and had to get a medical timeout to assess her knee. While the Aussie did seem to step up in the second set a little more, she was no match for the world number 43.