Britain on Cusp of Billie Jean King Cup Victory as Stojsavljevic Stuns Australia

Great Britain is one win away from securing a spot in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after Mika Stojsavljevic and Harriet Dart led the team to a strong performance against Australia in Melbourne. Stojsavljevic, ranked 275th in the world, made a stunning debut by defeating world No 65 Talia Gibson 7-6 (7-4) 7-5, overcoming a 219-place difference in the WTA rankings. The 17-year-old, who is the 2024 US Open junior champion, gave Britain a perfect start in the qualifiers, which they are competing in without key players Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Katie Boulter, and Fran Jones. Stojsavljevic took an early 3-1 lead but needed a tie-break to secure the first set and defended five break points to win the second set in a match that saw five breaks of serve. 'It feels amazing. I'm still in shock,' Stojsavljevic said, expressing her gratitude for the support she received. Harriet Dart then came from behind to defeat Kimberly Birrell 4-6 6-3 6-3, leaving Britain needing just one more win from the remaining three matches to qualify for the finals in Shenzhen, China. 'I'm thrilled to have won after Mika's incredible performance,' Dart said, adding that she enjoyed playing for her country and was happy to have secured another win. Dart will team up with Jodie Burrage in Saturday's doubles match against Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez to try to complete the tie for Britain.