Great Britain beat Australia 3-0 on Saturday to qualify for September's Billie Jean King Cup finals, with Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage sealing the tie by winning the doubles rubber in straight sets on Melbourne's hard courts.
Dart and Burrage beat Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez 6-3 6-4 at John Cain Arena after Great Britain had already won both singles matches on Friday. Mika Stojsavljevic, 17, made a winning competition debut by beating Talia Gibson in straight sets, and Dart followed by recovering from a set down to defeat Kimberly Birrell. Emerson Jones later beat Katie Swan 7-5 6-3 in a dead-rubber singles match, but the result had already sent Great Britain through to the eight-team finals in Shenzhen, where China will host the tournament.
Harriet Dart said Hunter and Perez were two strong doubles players and noted it was the pair's first time playing together, while Burrage said the finish felt amazing and praised the way they came out and closed it out. Captain Anne Keothavong said she was overjoyed and credited her players for executing, holding their nerve and performing when it mattered.
Great Britain became the second side to book a place in the September finals after Italy later completed a 3-0 win over Japan, and the team will now chase a third straight appearance in the Billie Jean King Cup showcase. The British side arrived in Melbourne without four players ranked inside the singles top 100 — Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, Fran Jones and Sonay Kartal were unavailable — but still produced the upset against an Australia team that will now move on to November's play-offs.
Keothavong said winning the title remains the ultimate goal and added that Britain have the strength and depth to do something special in the competition. She also made clear they are not going to Shenzhen to make up the numbers, a warning that lands with extra force after Great Britain reached the last four at the past two Billie Jean King Cup editions.
