Poland, Italy, Spain and Kazakhstan cruise into BJK finals

PARIS: Poland, Italy, Spain and Kazakhstan booked their places in the Billie Jean King Cup finals on Saturday (Apr 16) as they took unassailable 3-0 leads in their ties.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, crushed Romania's 324th-ranked Andreea Prisacariu 6-0 6-0 in 45 minutes to seal victory for hosts Poland in Radom.

In Sardinia, Italian Camila Giorgi also won 12 successive games as she dispatched Harmony Tan of France 6-2, 6-0 to give Italy a 3-0 advantage.

Spain were the only away team to win as Sara Sorribes Tormo sealed their place in the finals by beating Arantxa Rus 6-0, 6-4 in s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands.

Elena Rybakina had to work harder to clinch Kazakhstan's surprising victory over Germany, winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in Nur-Sultan

"Really proud of us," Swiatek told the competition web site. "It's been a long journey. It took us a few years, step by step to progress and qualify finally.

"It just shows how strong a team we are. Hopefully in the Finals we are going to show even more progress, and we're going to succeed."

Tan, ranked 107th in the world, played ahead of 34th ranked Alize Cornet and jumped into a 2-0 lead before the hard-hitting Giorgi took complete control.

In Prague, the Czechs took a 2-1 lead over Great Britain as Marketa Vondrousova beat US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-1.

"The score looks easy but it was a tough match and she was a bit injured," said Vondrousova

Raducanu had dragged Britain back into the match in her first professional match on clay on Friday with a hard-fought victory over Tereza Martincova, but she paid a price on Saturday.

"I have a blister on my foot, it kind of showed up after yesterday's match," she told the BBC.

"It completely stopped me from moving, it's tough to not even be able to