Poland leads Spain in opening round of Billie Jean King Cup Finals

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Magda Linette gave Poland a 1-0 series lead over Spain in the opening round of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after surviving a nearly 4-hour test against Sara Sorribes on Friday.

Linette secured a 7(8)-6, 2-6, 6-4 victory in 3 hours, 51 minutes on the indoor hard courts at Malaga's Palacio de Deportes.

Linette faced a 0-3 deficit in the decisive set after Sorribes had rallied back to pull it level at 1-set all before the Polish player regrouped and finished off her rival. Linette hit more winners, 55-12, while also making 79 unforced errors to Sorribes' 26.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek is set to face Paula Badosa in the second singles match. Badosa must win to force it to doubles.

The winner will advance to play the Czech Republic.

Britain and Germany will also face off in the opening round later on Friday.

On Thursday, Slovakia beat the United States, while Japan defeated Romania.

The match between Spain and Poland was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was pushed back two days due to heavy rain in southern Spain which caused some flooding in Malaga. Authorities in Spain are on high alert after massive flash floods claimed more than 200 lives last month.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis