Bengaluru, Nov. 15 -- Slovenia made a dominant start to their Billie Jean King Cup Play-off campaign here on Friday, taking a 2-0 lead over the Netherlands with hard-fought singles victories from Tamara Zidansek and Kaja Juvan.
In the opening match, world No. 162 Zidansek produced a composed performance to defeat higher-ranked Arantxa Rus (No. 139) 6-1, 7-6 (8-6). Zidansek broke early to lead 3-1 and controlled the first set comfortably.
In the second set, Rus responded with aggressive play to level at 5-5 and briefly take a 6-5 lead. However, Zidansek steadied herself, forced a tie-break, and edged it to secure the straight-sets win.
After the match, Zidansek said, "I'm really happy. I came out playing great tactically and hitting my sh...