Polish tennis players can already boast the greatest success in the history of Polish tennis. Never before has our women’s team reached the semi-finals of representative games. Before the tournament, a chance appeared, because our team is the strongest in the history of the discipline in our country. Our top rackets play like clockwork and this brings results on the court.
This doesn’t have to be the end. There are only two more steps left for the Polish tennis players. And what’s important, they will be clear favorites in each of the matches. Everything is in the hands of our representatives, who are fighting to fulfill their dreams. Now, the number one goal is to face the Italians. And this is a team that played in the final a year ago, but now has unexpected problems. The Polish women will want to take advantage of them.
Italian women can already tremble. But they also have one advantage
The quarter-final match with Japan has already proven that the Italian can be surprised. The problem is the lack of a second racket of the same class as Jasmine Paolini. The Roland Garros and Wimbledon finalist is having the best season of her career, but our next rivals lack a second tennis player on whom they could rely so much. Both Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Lucia Bronzetti are players who would not be favourites with either Magdalena Fręch or Magda Linette.
This means that the White and Reds will be favourites in both of their singles matches. The key is to win both of them and not lead to a doubles match. Because there, similarly to what was said before the match with the Czechs, trouble may appear. Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani are the world’s top doubles players and recent participants in the WTA Finals. This is where the Italian tennis players have the greatest chance, and it is in our interest not to lead to a decisive rivalry in the doubles.
And who could pose a threat to Poland if they were to defeat the Italians and advance to the final? On Sunday, we watched two quarter-finals and it became clear that the final would be played between the British and the Slovaks. Here, the first two seem to be the most dangerous, as they have a dangerous duo: Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu.
But we can’t forget what happened in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals a year ago. Then, sensationally, Canada won the entire tournament, even though it had only one player from the TOP150 women’s ranking. The Canadians beat the Poles, for example, without losing any of their matches along the way. This shows that the ranking itself doesn’t have to matter. The captain’s decisions also count, and they have a significant meaning. Dawid Celt himself convinced us of this.
Dawid Celt surprised right after the match
“I was rubbing my eyes in amazement at how the girls played. It was a sensational level. One says she can’t play doubles, the other says she can improve, and they come out and play in such a way that people start applauding,” said Dawid Celt right after the end of the Poland-Czech Republic match.
The second dilemma was who to send to play in the doubles, considering the considerable fatigue of Iga Świątek. Katarzyna Kawa’s position was unquestionable, and although the Pole is not among the top doubles players, she proved that the captain’s trust is fully deserved. She did so by playing against the best doubles player in the world. Celt’s decision proved right again.
And Iga Świątek promised the fans right after the match that if necessary, she would play two matches in a row against the Italians again. These are beautiful words, but the best thing would be… to not allow for a doubles match at all, winning both singles matches. That would be the best scenario, because it would give the Polish team a chance to regenerate faster before the final match. And that could prove invaluable.
