British Tennis Team Takes Lead with Key Victories

The British tennis team has taken a lead in a team competition, thanks to straight-set and three-set victories from Hannah Stojsavljevic and Harriet Dart. The team is competing without several of its top-ranked players.

"It feels amazing. I can't believe it. I can't even remember the last point. I had amazing support from the side and managed to get through."
— Hannah Stojsavljevic after her victory

Match Results

Hannah Stojsavljevic's Victory

The 17-year-old won her match in straight sets. She secured the first set in a tie-break after having led 3-1 earlier in the set.

In the penultimate game of the match, Stojsavljevic saved five break points before winning on her first match point.

Harriet Dart's Victory

Dart, 29, defeated world number 80 Kimberly Birrell in three sets. The final score was 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The match featured 16 breaks of serve and 27 break-point opportunities.

After losing the first set, Dart held serve in the fifth game of the second set, ending a sequence of four consecutive lost service games. She won three of the next five games to force a deciding set.

At 3-3 in the third set, Dart broke Birrell's serve for the eighth time and won the next two games to secure the victory.

Player Background and Team Context

Hannah Stojsavljevic is the 2024 US Open junior champion and is reported to be the second-lowest ranked player on the current Great Britain team.

The team is competing without Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Katie Boulter, and Fran Jones. All four absent players are ranked inside the world's top 100 for singles.

Player Statement (Continued)

Reflecting on her performance, Stojsavljevic added:

"Going into it, I knew she'd have the home ground. I'm grateful to the people supporting GB today. It was a good match. We have very similar games, both quite aggressive, so I'm happy I got through it."