(Coventry) With five tiebreakers in the five sets played and almost six hours of play in total, France took a big step towards the Billie Jean King Cup finals by leading 2-0 against Great Britain on Saturday , in Coventry.

Even without their best player, Emma Raducanu (68^e), who preferred to save themselves for the Stuttgart tournament which begins on Monday, the British were very tough on the fast surface of the CBS Arena in Coventry (central England).

Only 138^e and 154^e world championships, Harriet Dart and Katie Boulter held their own against Alizé Cornet (70^e) and Caroline Garcia (5^e).

First in line, Garcia has almost never evolved to her true level, jostled by the aggressiveness of her opponent, especially on her devastating two-handed backhands.

The final score 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2) shows that the match ended in nothing.

“I’m not really surprised” by the match played by Katie Boulter, assured Garcia after her victory.

“I expected a great game from her, she had already proven that she could beat very good players,” she added.

In a very disjointed match, where the unprovoked faults were much more numerous (107) than the winning points (61) on both sides, the Frenchwoman above all managed to never lose the thread and was very modest on the reasons for his victory.

Garcia “likes to push his limits”

“It’s hard to explain what changed the match. I wish I could say it’s my experience, but I think it’s just tennis and it worked in my favor,” she explained, pleased with her solidity.

“I would have gladly taken (a victory in) 6-3, 6-3, but I like to push my limits […] It’s a big victory that shows that I may be mentally stronger than you think, ”she continued.

“I take these matches (by team) very much to heart and it hurts” to lose, recognized Boulter for his part.

“But I can’t have any regrets. I always take risks, I know it will make me win and lose games, I accept it, but I would not have felt good if I had not played my game, ”she said.

In the evening, the second single between Cornet and Dart was just as tight, even if the Frenchwoman managed to conclude in two sets.

“I’m so relieved, it’s been a big fight with Harriet. We gave our best […] A third set would have been very hard for both of them, ”commented the Frenchwoman on the court after the match.

Britain does not abdicate

With more rounded ball trajectories and more constructed exchanges, the two players went blow for blow, especially in a first set punctuated by six breaks and where Dart also had a set point at 6-5 in the decisive game. .

In the second, Cornet and Dart won all their engagements, but the Frenchwoman took the initiative more at the end of the decisive match, quickly breaking away at 5-1 in the tiebreaker before concluding at 7-3.

“In the fight, she always answered present and that is super-interesting for me. She tactically managed to play in certain areas and get out of the patterns of play that we had decided before, ”welcomed the French captain Julien Benneteau.

“She went beyond frustration to win without playing the best tennis of her career,” he added.

If it only takes one point for France in the two singles and the possible decisive double scheduled for Saturday to validate its ticket for the final phase, Great Britain has certainly not abdicated.

“The sport is violent at times, but both players should be proud […] We don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves, we will have to be ready to go back to battle tomorrow morning, ”said British captain Anne Keotha- vong.