Billie Jean King Cup
Niemeier and Friedsam win: DTB women in the final round
The German women won against Brazil 3:1. photo
© Christoph Schmidt/dpa
With a cohesive team effort, Germany’s tennis players have reached the final round of the Billie Jean King Cup. On the second day there are two wins.
Three different players, three victories: Thanks to a solid team effort, the German tennis women have reached the final round of the Billie Jean King Cup for the second time.
Jule Niemeier first won the top singles against the world number 14 in Stuttgart. Beatriz Haddad Maia with 7: 6 (7: 3), 3: 6, 6: 2. Anna-Lena Friedsam then clearly defeated Laura Pigossi 6:1, 6:0 and thus scored the decisive third point against Brazil. Tatjana Maria scored the first point in three hard-fought sets against Pigossi on Friday.
The finals will take place from November 7th to 12th. The venue has not yet been determined. For Germany it is the second final round participation after 2021. At that time the selection of the German Tennis Association in Prague was eliminated after two defeats in the group phase.
Niemeier was preferred to Maria
Niemeier set the course for the finals on Saturday. The German number one was given preference by team manager Rainer Schüttler over Maria, who was exhausted after her marathon match against Pigossi late on Friday evening and the tournament victory in Bogotá last week. “We had thought about it beforehand and thought it would work best that way,” said Niemeier after converting her first match point against Haddad Maia.
Then she fell onto her back and fought back tears. “I was very nervous. I’m very proud of myself and the team,” said the 23-year-old. “We took the momentum from Friday with us.”
Niemeier’s lack of self-confidence after only two wins in 13 games this year was clearly noticeable at first. The Dortmund woman immediately gave up her serve. Only when she also took the service from Haddad Maia to make it 3: 3 did self-confidence return to her game. Although she had to give up her serve again shortly afterwards, Niemeier now played more aggressively and made it into the tie-break. There she came up trumps and won the first set after 78 hard-fought minutes.
“It was a golden day today”
In the second round, Niemeier was unable to take advantage of three break chances right at the beginning. Haddad Maia then improved and equalized the set after 2:11 hours. But Niemeier fought back and quickly pulled away in the third section. The rest was pure joy and relief.
“It’s something special to play for Germany. It was my first home game ever, so I’m happy that I was able to help the team,” said Niemeier, who hugged all her teammates and the entire support staff after the game. Above all, the hug with women boss Barbara Rittner was intimate. “She always told me that I’m a top player and that I should keep believing in myself,” said Niemeier.
Friedsam then made the decision. Friedsam had already shown a strong performance against Haddad Maia on Friday, but in the end had to admit defeat in three sets. Friedsam was rewarded for her good form against Pigossi and didn’t give the tired looking Brazilian a chance. “It was a golden day today,” said Friedsam after her victory in just 72 minutes.