Great Britain sweeps Japan to set up BJK Cup semifinal against United States

Great Britain reached the Billie Jean King Cup semifinals for the second year in a row, defeating Japan 2-0 in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Even without top-ranked Emma Raducanu, Britain sealed the tie by winning both singles matches in straight sets. The four-time finalists will face the United States next, the event’s most successful nation.

Kartal gives Britain the perfect start

Britain's Sonay Kartal opened the tie with a strong start, racing to a 4-0 lead against Japan's Ena Shibahara before closing out the first set 6-3.

The second set was tighter, with both players unable to break the other's serve, forcing a tiebreak. Shibahara jumped to a 3-1 lead before Kartal rallied to earn triple-match point. The 23-year-old Brit, ranked No. 82, sealed a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win on her second opportunity. Kartal had also won both her matches on her Billie Jean King Cup debut in April.

Boulter seals the victory with easy win 

Britain's Katie Boulter, ranked No. 55, then dominated Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-2 in the second singles to secure her nation's place in the last four. Uchijima, ranked No. 92, struggled to find rhythm as Boulter’s solid baseline play proved too strong.

Semifinal lineup set

Great Britain will face the United States in Saturday’s semifinal. Earlier Thursday, Jessica Pegula and Taylor Townsend clinched the deciding doubles match to give the U.S. a 2-1 victory over Kazakhstan. On Friday, in the first semifinal, five-time champion Italy will face Ukraine, which, like Britain, is still chasing its first Billie Jean King Cup title.

Italy scored a 2-0 win over China, while Ukraine overcame Spain by an identical score in the quarterfinals earlier in the week.