Teenager Mika Stojsavljevic delivered a stunning debut performance for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup, defeating Australia's Talia Gibson in straight sets to help her team take a commanding 2-0 lead in their qualifying tie.
Stojsavljevic, ranked 275th in the world and making her first appearance in the prestigious team competition, overcame Gibson—who sits more than 200 places above her at 56th—with a composed 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 victory in Melbourne. The 17-year-old, who saved six of eight break points, held her nerve in a tense first-set tiebreak after letting a 3-1 lead slip, and later saved five break points in the penultimate game before sealing the win.
"It feels amazing. I can't believe it. I can't even remember the last point," Stojsavljevic said after the match. "I had amazing support from the side and managed to get through. Going into it, I knew she'd have the home ground. I'm grateful to the people supporting GB today. It was a good match. We have very similar games, both quite aggressive, so I'm happy I got through it."
Harriet Dart, ranked 173rd, then secured Britain's second point by rallying from a set down to defeat Kimberly Birrell 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a marathon encounter lasting nearly two and a half hours. The match featured 16 service breaks and 27 break-point opportunities, with Dart breaking Birrell's serve eight times overall.
With the doubles and two reverse singles matches scheduled for Saturday, Great Britain now needs just one more victory to secure a spot in the eight-team finals in Shenzhen, China, this September. The losing team will face a playoff in November.
Stojsavljevic, the 2024 US Open junior champion, is the second-lowest ranked player on a British squad missing several top-100 talents, including Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal, Katie Boulter, and Fran Jones. Her breakthrough performance against a significantly higher-ranked opponent has provided a crucial boost as the team aims to advance to the finals.