Emma Raducanu beat Viktoria Hruncakova in two sets, 6-4, 6-4, on Tuesday in Malaga in the first match of the second semifinal of the BJK Cup and takes Great Britain a step closer to the final.

In a one-sided match lasting 1 hour 37 minutes, the 58th-ranked British player held her nerve against the powerful forehand of her opponent, only 238th in the WTA rankings. The 22-year-old British player, surprise winner of the US Open in 2021, was able to multiply her aces (8) and took advantage of several rather crude unforced errors by the Slovak to win the match.

Great Britain leads Slovakia 1-0 going into the second singles match between Katie Boulter (24th) and Rebecca Sramkova (43rd). If necessary, a doubles match will decide who will face Poland’s opponents Italy in Wednesday’s final.