“We have made history for Poland – a dream come true,” said Iga Swiatek after registering a sensational win over Czech Republic in Malaga on Saturday. Thanks to her efforts, Poland has made it into the top four of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. It’s the first time in the country’s history while participating in the event that it has qualified for the semifinal round. Of course, there’s no one happier right now than the Pole herself who is ecstatic after bringing this accomplishment for her nation. The former World No.1 has shared an emotional reaction after leading Poland to witness its best run so far in the BJK.

In the QF battle on Saturday, Poland managed to upset 11-time champion Czech Republic while making a memorable comeback. In the first round, consisting of a singles match, the Czech team took a 1-0 lead. Marie Bouzkova beat Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in a tough contest. It meant Poland had to win the remaining two rounds to stay alive. Iga Swiatek took the onus on herself to make it happen. Firstly, she succeeded in winning her singles match against Linda Noskova. The Pole managed to snatch the battle with a scoreline of 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-5. The five-time Grand Slam winner then appeared in the doubles match as well for the final round. She helped Katarzyna Kawa beat Marie Bouzkova and Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets. Naturally, Poland won the match 2-1 while making history at the event. After match, an emotional Iga Swiatek couldn’t stop herself from expressing her love for her country. During the post-match media interaction, Swiatek told, “That’s my last tournament of the season and playing for Poland is always amazing.” While radiating the feeling of patriotism and her commitment to Poland, she said, “even if I’m gonna die on court so I will do it, but give hundred percent.”

Remember, Iga didn’t play much tennis this season. Hence, it’s special for her to come back after a long break and lead her country into the semis. Swiatek’s only appearance in recent months came during the WTA Finals earlier this month. Playing in Riyadh, she was eliminated during the group stage itself. Before that, however, she had skipped the entire Asian swing after her US Open exit in September. She then skipped the Wuhan Open, China Open, and the Hong Kong Open. But it seems like she really wanted to end the season on a high. And she’s trying to do it by performing in the best way possible for her country.

Iga Swiatek emphasizes on crucial doubles victory at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals

During an official interview, dated November 16th, the Iga revealed that Poland wasn’t a favorite to win the doubles encounter. However, she and her partner’s efforts made it possible. “I am super proud of Katarzyna, myself and the whole team for fighting today because in doubles we weren’t the favourites,” she said. Playing a doubles match after a long gap was surely a challenge for her. However, she was “happy that Katarzyna was leading the doubles, picking the right tactics and telling me what to do as I haven’t played doubles in a while. I think we made a really good team.”

Sharing about her initial hesitation on playing the doubles match, she said, “I wasn’t sure — you know, I didn’t really knew how I felt after my singles, so I just needed to, like, get rid of some emotions and be ready for doubles. But for sure I wanted to play, because, you know, I knew that if I’m going to say no regardless of the reason, I’m going to regret this, you know.”

While it’s definitely a historic moment already for Poland, the chase to glory is not done yet. Iga and her teammates will now face Italy in the semifinal round on Monday. It will be intriguing to see which team will reign supreme and move into the title clash. Will Poland’s incredible run continue or will Italy put an end to it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.