The German tennis players were eliminated from the Billie Jean King Cup in the round of 16. National coach Rainer Schüttler’s team lost to Great Britain in Malaga. The defeat was already clear after the two singles. First, Jule Niemeier lost the opening game against Emma Raducanu 4:6, 4:6. After that, Laura Siegemund had no chance in the top duel against Katie Boulter at 1:6, 2:6. The double was therefore meaningless and was no longer played. An overall weak year in German women’s tennis ended with further disappointment.
Jule Niemeier held up well against Raducanu. The 25-year-old from Dortmund was unable to use her advantages in the first set. After Raducanu, the 2021 US Open winner, managed the break to make it 4-3, Niemeier had five break points herself immediately afterwards that she did not convert. The Brit also managed an early break in the second round. Niemeier then took the serve from her opponent, but she lost her service again immediately afterwards. Raducanu was able to complete the victory after 1:55 hours with the sixth match point. “She simply served better than me in the tight and important moments,” said Niemeier.
The expectations now weighed on Siegemund, 36. She managed a quick break against Boulter, but after that the world number 24 controlled the game at will. Siegemund had great difficulty with her serve and was unable to serve in the first set. In total, the German number one made 29 slight mistakes: too many to have a chance of winning.