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Belgian tennis player Greet Minnen admitted it was "nice" to be a part of the Billie Jean King Cup history. On.Monday, Minnen became the first player to win a match in the new Billie Jean King Cup format. Minnen, ranked at No.
70 in the world, beat Belarusian Iryna Shymanovich 6-2 6-2 to help Belgium claim a victory of Belarus on the opening day of the Billie Jean King Cup. "It is really nice that I am a little part of the history of this competition,” said the 24-year-old, per the Billie Jean King Cup website.
"It was my first time playing for Belgium and I was really happy that I could give our country the first win of the day. “I am playing really well the last few weeks and months and I’m rising up the rankings and doing well.
I am happy that I can continue this during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, and I hope I can continue this level and keep going”.
Minnen helped Elise Mertens more relaxed
After Minnen gave Belgium an early lead, Mertens got out on the court and beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 4-6 6-2 to seal the win for Belgium.
After losing the second set, Mertens broke Sasnovich three times in the third set to avoid a surprise loss. "We started really strongly and Greet played very well which made it easier for me with the team 1-0 up,” said Mertens.
“I managed to get the win in the third set and we were really there as a team, supporting each other, and it really gave me the energy to keep going. “In the doubles, Belarus played pretty strong and it was difficult to get the rhythm, so today we are happy to win singles and eventually take the win. The doubles wasn’t going our way, which can happen in tennis, but we’re happy that we won today”.