Switzerland's Belinda Bencicreacts after scoring a point against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic during their final match of the Billie Jean King Cup tennis finals, at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) – Switzerland won the biggest prize in women’s team tennis for the first time after Belinda Bencic completed a near-perfect tournament by beating Australia’s Alja Tomljanovic in straight sets Sunday in the Billie Jean King Cup final.
The win gives Switzerland an unassailable 2-0 lead after Jil Teichmann outlasted Australia’s Storm Sanders 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the opening singles match.
Bencic had not dropped a set all week and extended that streak by beating Tomljanovic 6-2, 6-1 to clinch the title.
The Swiss had never won the competition formerly known as the Fed Cup, losing the final in 1998 and again last year. Australia won it seven times, but the last was in 1974. The Australians also lost in the final in 2019.
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