Slovakia beats United States to advance in Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Japan defeats Romania

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Ashlyn Krueger and Taylor Townsend saved six match points but ultimately lost the decisive doubles match as the United States was defeated 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 by Slovakia and was eliminated 2-1 in the first round of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals early Friday.

Krueger and Townsend lost after rallying from 9-2 down in the third set against against Tereza Mihalikova and Viktoria Hruncakova in a match that ended close to 1 a.m. in Spain.

Townsend have given the U.S. the first point by defeating 17-year-old Renata Jamrichova 7-5 6-4, but Rebecca Sramkova evened the tie with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Danielle Collins in the second singles match.

Slovakia will face Australia in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Japan rallies past Romania

Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova return the ball against Ashlyn Krueger and Taylor Townsend, of the United States, during their tennis doubles match during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Japan reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 after rallying to defeat Romania 2-1.

Japan advanced when Eri Hozumi and Shuko Aoyama defeated Monica Niculescu and Elena Ruse 6-1, 7-5 in the deciding doubles match.

Ana Bogdan had put Romania ahead with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Nao Hibino in the first singles match of the day but Ena Shibahara pulled Japan level with a 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory over Jaqueline Cristian.

Japan will face Italy in the quarterfinals.

The first match between Japan and Romania had been moved back two hours because of a severe weather alert that was in effect in the Malaga region until early in the day. The weather alert had already forced the opening meeting between Spain and Poland to be pushed back from Wednesday to Friday, when Germany is also facing Britain.

Ashlyn Krueger, left, celebrates after a point with teammate Taylor Townsend, right, of the United States, during their tennis doubles match against Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The Billie Jean King Cup Finals is taking place about two weeks after a powerful storm caused flash floods that killed more than 200 people in the Valencia region, east of Malaga.

The International Tennis Federation announced a donation to the Spanish Red Cross to support relief and recovery efforts in the region, and Spanish player Paula Badosa said she will donate half of her prize money to help the victims.

Both the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and the Davis Cup Finals are taking place in the southern Spanish city, with the men’s competition beginning next week, also at the Palacio de Deportes.

It is the first time that the women’s team tournament is taking place at the same venue as the Davis Cup and with overlapping dates. And for the second year in a row, it will offer equivalent prize money to the men’s competition.