NETHERLANDS: Great Britain’s Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage delivered an impressive doubles performance, securing a 2-1 win over the Netherlands to earn a qualification spot for the Billie Jean King Cup finals in September.
Their doubles team was just a substitute for the originally planned duo of Olivia Nicholls and Harriet Dart. Despite the change, Boulter and Burrage proved that they were capable of getting the job done and defeated Demi Schuurs and Suzan Lamens with a final score of 6-2, 6-2 on a clay surface.
On being paired up
It was the second time Boulter and Burrage had teamed up, even though they had practised together before the competition.
Burrage shared: “We went out there, and we gave it our all. We swung, and that is what we wanted to do…It was great to step on the court with Katie—good friends and good partners, I think.”
The athletes had triumphed against a tough Dutch team – Lamens had not been defeated in 13 consecutive Billie Jean King Cup matches, and Schuurs had her undefeated streak for the Netherlands dating back to 2022.
During the match, Boulter and Burrage played with determination and aggression, focusing on Schuurs’ serve. They hit 26 winners to the Dutch pair’s 10. Schuurs was in tears after the match, and her team is now heading to the play-offs to secure a place in the 2026 qualifiers.
Great Britain will now prepare to compete in the eight-team finals, which will take place in Shenzhen, China, from Sep 16 to 21.
On having redemption
Despite a difficult singles loss to Lamens, Boulter found redemption in the doubles after Sonay Kartal kept Britain alive with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 win over Eva Vedder.
Anne Keothavong, Great Britain’s team captain, admitted: “Every captain wants a Katie Boulter on their team… Katie, after the disappointment of her singles, responded remarkably well. It was always an option for us, and they went out there and did the job… We knew doubles was going to be important this week—and I don’t think Katie has ever done so much doubles practice in her life.”
In a social media post, Katie Boulter shared their win and said: “Winning the decider for your country with one of your best friends 🥹 🎥 🍿 TEAM GB UP UP UP🔥🇬🇧 🪄”
View this post on Instagram
Netizens expressed their support in the comments section. One netizen said: “Amazing match! You and Jodie played so well together 👏🏻🤩🇬🇧”
Another netizen remarked: “It was a joy watching you two play together 🙌”
More netizens stated: “Team GB team double B 🔥, ” “Team great Britain congratulations 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🎾🤗,” and “You were all amazing girls. Keep that doubles partnership going 🙌”