Billie Jean King Cup 2025: GB in must-win territory after Sonay Kartal loses to Emma Navarro

Kartal had her serve broken in a nine-minute opening game but responded to those early nerves in clinical fashion, winning the next four games and converting all three of her break point opportunities to take the first set.

Navarro was her own worst enemy at times. She double-faulted to hand Kartal her first break, failed to win a point on her second serve and produced a glut of forehand errors.

But as poor as she was in the opening set, Kartal was excellent, dominating their baseline exchanges and utilising her athleticism and the full width of the court to construct winner after winner.

Her confidence was on full display when she chased down a drop shot before nailing a smashed winner to seal the set in style with a hold to love.

Kartal broke immediately at the start of the second set and again in the fifth game, but on both occasions, Navarro responded immediately.

An increasingly error-prone Kartal then handed Navarro three set points – the second of which she took to level the match.

Momentum continued to swing in the final set, with the resilient Navarro saving two break points in the opening game and breaks exchanged midway through the decider.

However, when the American won eight consecutive points to take a 5-2 lead, the battling Kartal was unable to mastermind a comeback of her own, with US captain Lindsay Davenport finally cracking a smile as Navarro converted her second match point.