BJK Cup: Sonay Kartal beats Ena Shibahara to give Great Britain 1-0 lead over Japan

Sonay Kartal gave Great Britain the perfect start to their Billie Jean King Cup quarter-final against Japan with victory over Ena Shibahara.

Anne Keothavong’s side are looking to win the women’s team tournament for the first time, having lost in the final on four previous occasions.

Kartal, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time this summer, kept up her strong BJK Cup record with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win over Shibahara.

World number 82 Kartal has won all three of her BJK Cup ties since making her debut earlier this year.

“Their [Japan’s] whole team is super tough so I knew it was not going to be easy in the slightest,” Kartal said.

“I tried to play my game when things got tough and stay aggressive. I backed myself all the way.”

Katie Boulter, the nation’s leading singles player in Shenzhen in the absence of Emma Raducanu, can secure Britain’s place in the semi-finals with victory over Moyuka Uchijima later on Thursday.