Raducanu faces Martincova in Billie Jean King Cup singles debut

Emma Raducanu is set to face Tereza Martincova in her Billie Jean King Cup singles debut for Great Britain on Friday.

The British team are taking on the Czech Republic in the Qualifiers on clay at the Tennis Club I.CLTK Prague, the site of the 1986 finals.

The team comprises Raducanu, Harriet Dart, Katie Swan and Sonay Kartal. The winners of the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers will advance to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November, while the losers will go into Play-Offs for the 2023 Qualifiers.

World No 12 Raducanu has been selected alongside British No 2 Harriet Dart to play the opening singles matches on Friday. Dart will open the action against Marketa Vondrousova, before Raducanu takes on Martincova.

Saturday's reverse singles will see the players swap opponents, with the potential of a deciding doubles match to follow.

Raducanu will not just be making her senior Great Britain debut on Friday, but she will also playing her first professional match on clay.

She spent a week on the surface in Italy prior to travelling to Prague and despite her feet suffering from the sliding needed to thrive on the surface, Raducanu is optimistic for the future.

"This is going to be my first professional match on clay so I'm definitely learning," Raducanu said.

"I feel this could be one of my strongest surfaces going forward but of course, it's early days right now. I feel like I have got a lot more potential, physically and I do enjoy sliding.

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"So, after spending more time on this surface, I'm sure I'll time it better and learn more about the surface but also just the time that the clay brings. I feel like I can really use it and play aggressive."

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