Japan will face Romania within the quarterfinals of the Billie Jean King Cup

MALAGA, Spain — Japan reached the quarterfinals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the primary time since 2013 after beating Romania 2-1 on Thursday.

Japan superior when Eri Hozumi and Shuko Aoyama beat Monica Niculescu and Elena Ruse 6-1, 7-5 within the doubles decider.

Ana Bogdan had put Romania forward with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Nao Hibino within the first singles match of the day however Ena Shibahara pulled Japan forward with a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over Jaqueline Cristian.

Japan will face Italy within the quarterfinals. The US faces Slovakia later Thursday for a spot within the final eight.

The primary match between Japan and Romania was postponed for 2 hours because of a nasty climate warning that was in impact within the Malaga area till the morning. The climate warning had already compelled the opening match between Spain and Poland to be postponed from Wednesday to Friday, when Germany additionally face Britain.

The Billie Jean King Cup Finals occurred nearly two weeks after a strong storm brought on floods that killed greater than 200 individuals within the Valencia area, east of Malaga.

The Worldwide Tennis Federation introduced a donation to the Spanish Purple Cross to assist aid and restoration efforts within the area, whereas Spanish participant Paula Badosa stated she would donate half of her prize cash to assist the victims.

Each the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and the Davis Cup Finals happen within the southern Spanish metropolis, with the lads’s competitors beginning subsequent week, on the Palacio de Deportes.

It’s the first time that the ladies’s staff competitors has been held on the identical venue because the Davis Cup and on the corresponding dates. And for the second yr in a row, it can supply equal prize cash within the males’s competitors.