British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

RE: Week 14 - 2026 Billie Jean King Cup - Qualifiers - Melbourne, Australia

Var · Futures level

Amazing win for Mika. So pleased for her. Looks like she is going to be one of those players who puts on the GB shirt and brings her very best game to the court.

Babfive · Satellite level

These are two great wins. I wasn't expecting us to beat Australia without our higher ranked players but Mika and Harriet have certainly seized their opportunities and more power to them and the team. One more win, that's all we need now. biggrin

indiana · Tennis legend

Heck, just caught up with all this biggrin

Be superb if they can make these really count and get that one more win to take the tie.

Peter too · Tennis legend

I wonder what odds we would have got on being 2-0 up at the end of the 1st day.

foobarbaz · Club Coach

Watched the whole of the 1st match, well played Mika, fighting spirit, cool head, going for her shots, effective serve, few unforced errors. The Aussie Gibson crumbled, perhaps the pressure of the home tie did it, also playing a relative youngster expecting to win.

Fell asleep before the 2nd match, awoke as 3rd set began. Harriet playing really well, outlasting her opponent Birrel in the rally, going for her shots too, and making them. In a way both matches quite similar, were the Aussies over-confident, and not ready for the fight?

The team is super fired up, preparation seems to have been spot on. Great start to the tie, but the Aussies will fight hard tomorrow.

LordBrownof · Challenger qualifying

LordBrownof wrote:
Gosh I really worry about a thorough beatdown(under) here. Gibson playing a level above where she was in the summer vs Katie. They'll walk the dubs on paper and Emerson is obviously a very talented prospect.

-- Edited by LordBrownof on Wednesday 8th of April 2026 07:02:07 AM

I'm glad my strategy of reverse psychology paid off ;)

emmsie69 · Masters Series Champion

Just make sure Jonh doesn't comment

JonH · Tennis legend

emmsie69 wrote:
Just make sure Jonh doesn't comment

Dont worry, Emmsie, I did! On page one I said the comment below - you will see it worked a treat and the team proved me wrong, as usually happens!

Permalink Reply Quote Edit Post
Thanks Indy - hadnt though of the LTA for detail! Big arena, 10500 capacity. Cant see them filling that, tbh! First time Ive really looked at the teams, but it feels like we will really be stretched to get even a rubber here. A long way to go and see us get drubbed!

foobarbaz · Club Coach

LordBrownof wrote:
LordBrownof wrote:
Gosh I really worry about a thorough beatdown(under) here. Gibson playing a level above where she was in the summer vs Katie. They'll walk the dubs on paper and Emerson is obviously a very talented prospect.

-- Edited by LordBrownof on Wednesday 8th of April 2026 07:02:07 AM
I'm glad my strategy of reverse psychology paid off ;)

Actually, Katie (Swan I assume you mean) never played Talia Gibson.

the addict · Tennis legend

Talia hasn't played Katie Swan or Katie Boulter (although she did lose to Katy Dunne in 2023). But I think you might have meant Emerson Jones whom Katie S beat back in November

emmsie69 · Masters Series Champion

Wasn't it Taylah Preston that she played

-- Edited by emmsie69 on Friday 10th of April 2026 07:14:10 PM

the addict · Tennis legend

emmsie69 wrote:
Wasn't it Taylah Preston that she played

-- Edited by emmsie69 on Friday 10th of April 2026 07:14:10 PM

Katie played Taylah three times in Australia in September/October winning twice.

foobarbaz · Club Coach

Mika's win in the 1st match gave the GB Team an undoubted early boost, knocking some of the confidence out of the Aussie team and dampening the crowd. It also helped Harriet who was able to play with more freedom in the second match, and it heaped more scoreboard pressure on Harriet's opponent Birrell. It'll be interesting to see who Annie K puts on court in Day 2. Birrell was a step up in power and mobility from Gibson, and the Aussies might have been saving Emerson Jones for Day 2 also.

indiana · Tennis legend

I would think it will be Harriet & Jodie in the doubles with Harriet and Mika again in the singles.

The only slight issue may be if Harriet"s #1 vs #1 match is the first singles match to be played, as I'm guessing it will be, then she'd be playing 2 successive matches with the tie very possibly still live. I assume though that a decent rest period will be allowed for.