Britain looked to be heading for their first final in the competition since 1981 when Emma Raducanu defeated Viktoria Hruncakova 6-4 6-4 and Katie Boulter won the opening set against Rebecca Sramkova.
Neither had dropped a set all week until that point but Boulter could not maintain her advantage and Sramkova fought back to claim a 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory and send the tie to a deciding doubles.
Called into action for the first time all week, Heather Watson and Olivia Nicholls were caught cold by Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova and fell to a one-sided 6-2 6-2 defeat.
Slovakia will now take on Italy for the title, while Britain must reflect on a disappointing end to what has nevertheless been a positive campaign.
In particular, the performances of Raducanu shows that Britain can hope to challenge for the title again in the near future.
Esta historia es de la edición November 20, 2024 de Manchester Evening News.
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