Belgium has secured a 2-0 lead over Team USA in the Billie Jean King qualifiers after McCartney Kessler was forced to retire in her match against Elise Martens.
In the second match of the tie, Martens won the first set 7-6(3) in the tiebreak. Kessler stormed back in the second set to win it 6-2. Tied 3-3 in the decisive set, Kessler injured her back. She left the court for a medical timeout and returned briefly. But in the end, she had to retire. This leaves Team USA in peril as they are just one loss away from being eliminated in the Billie Jean King Cup.
Talking about Kessler’s retirement, Team USA captain Lindsay Davenport shared a grim update:
“In that last point she said that when she hit her serve, she heard a crack. She cannot move now. I do not know the diagnosis, but I know that she is a really tough lady and is in a lot of pain. She was playing so well and we were really proud of her out there, but these things happen. Fingers crossed, but it looks a pretty bad injury at the moment.”
This suggests that even if this tie extends beyond the third match, the possibility of Kessler turning up again is very low. Despite the odds stacked against her, Davenport is not yet ready to give up.
“We’re not out of this,” Davenport said.
Kessler previously suffered from the same injury when she withdrew from the WTA 250 in Austin in February.
Lindsay Davenport’s Team USA Lost the Opening Match of Tie vs Belgium
Earlier, Belgium’s Hanne Vandewinkel defeated rising star Iva Jovic, 7-6(3) 6-3, in the opening singles match of this tie. It was Vandewinkel’s first win over a top-20 opponent. Playing at her home, Vandewinkel “enjoyed every second of it.”
“It has been crazy playing here, it really has,” the Belgium star added. “It has given me goosebumps, which didn’t always help but I tried to stay calm and tried to just focus on my game. I think I managed that pretty well.”
Talking about her win against Jovic, Vandewinkel said:
“I tried to stick to my plan. I think both Iva and I started off a bit nervously and had to feel the ball. From the moment I started feeling the ball, I went for it a bit more. And that is what you have to do against a player like that. She is so good, I just had to try to change her rhythm and make her try and play bad. Changing that rhythm helped me win today.”
For Lindsay Davenport’s Team USA to survive elimination, the pairing of Caty McNally and Nicole Melichar will need to score a victory against Belgium’s Magali Kempen and Greet Minnen. If they are unable to do so, Belgium will head to Shenzhen, where the Billie Jean King Cup Finals will take place from 22-27 September.
Read More News:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
