Romania secured on Thursday a 1-0 lead over Japan in the Billie Jean King Cup, after Ana Bogdan defeated Nao Hibino 6-2, 6-4 in the first tie of the final of the women's team tennis competition in Malaga (Spain).
Ana Bogdan (31, WTA's 116th), who was initially supposed to play Ena Shibahara, clinched the victory in pretty short order, after just one hour and 20 minutes of play. Bogdan now leads 5-1 in her head-to-head encounters with Hibino (29, WTA's 152nd).In the doubles tie, Monica Niculescu and Gabriela Ruse will play the duo Shuko Aoyama/Eri Hozumi.
Romania participates in the finals of the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup taking place November 14 - 20 in Malaga. In the first round, Romania is pitted against Japan, and the winner will be through to face Italy in the quarterfinals.
Captain Horia Tecau picked Jaqueline Cristian, Ana Bogdan, Gabriela Ruse, Anca Todoni and Monica Niculescu to be on Team Romania for this final tournament.
Romania qualified for the first time for the Billie Jean King Cup final, after defeating Ukraine 3-2 on April 14, 2023 at Fernandina Beach (Florida).