‘A team of incredible women’ – is this GB’s golden BJK Cup chance?

BJK Cup quarter-finals: Great Britain v Canada

Venue: Palacio de Deportes, Malaga Date: Sunday, 17 November Time: 16:00 GMT

Coverage: Watch live on BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app; follow live text commentary on the website and app; listen to BBC Radio 5 Live for updates

You could hear it being whispered in the breakfast hall of the Malaga hotel where travelling British fans were tucking into their Spanish tortillas.

“We could go on and win this, you know,” one man cautiously confided to the table the morning after Great Britain reached the quarter-finals.

The nation has never won the Billie Jean King Cup.

But the feeling is growing that this year’s event could be as good a chance as any.

In the women’s team tournament branded as the ‘World Cup of Tennis’, GB face defending champions Canada in the last eight – and expectation is building.

“I said it before the competition started, I really believe that we can win this,” said British captain Anne Keothavong, whose team is comprised of Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu, Heather Watson, Olivia Nicholls and Harriet Dart.

“I don’t have a problem saying that out loud.”

Keothavong’s team reached the semi-finals on home turf in Glasgow in 2022, but there is a different level of confidence running through the camp now.

In Boulter and Raducanu, Britain have pedigree which ranks among the most substantial in the competition – particularly in their half of the draw.

British number one Boulter, who has moved into the world’s top 25 after a season where she won two WTA titles, is the third-highest ranked singles player left in the competition. Former Grand Slam champion Raducanu also ranks third among the number two players.

Neither will face a higher-ranked player against Canada, nor would they against potential semi-final opponents Australia and Slovakia.

“We’ve got quality players who have shown in their own right what they’re capable of, whether it’s this year or in previous years,” said Keothavong.

“For me to be able to captain the team of incredible women, for Katie to lead the way she does, and to have Emma back in the team playing great tennis, I feel like I’m in a very fortunate position.”

Keothavong, however, knows how tough Sunday’s best-of-three tie promises to be.

Canada might not be particularly fearsome on paper but, as they showed last year, are greater than the sum of their parts.

Leylah Fernandez, who Raducanu famously beat in the 2021 US Open final, flourishes in this environment. The world number 31 is aiming for a seventh consecutive BJK Cup win when she faces Boulter.

Teenager Marina Stakusic earned crucial victories on her debut in the competition last year and is battling the resurgent Rebecca Marino for the spot in the opener against Raducanu.

Then there is Gabriela Dabrowski. The third-best doubles player on the WTA Tour has just won the season-ending finals and will forge a formidable partnership with Fernandez if required.

Getting the job done in the singles feels key for Britain.

Both Raducanu, playing her first match since mid-September because of a foot injury, and Boulter confidently won their matches against Germany on Friday to secure GB’s quarter-final place.

Raducanu putting a point on the board laid the platform for Boulter and allowed her to play “more freely” and ensure there was no need for a doubles decider.

“I have been in that position many times when I was playing with Johanna Konta,” said Boulter.

“I always wanted to get that first rubber to try to take pressure off the number one player.”

If Britain do get through the next two ties, the spectre of Poland or Italy – one of whom most people expect to win – looms large.

Poland possess the tournament’s most potent weapon in world number two Iga Swiatek and another top-50 player in Magda Linette providing able assistance.

Italy have world number four Jasmine Paolini supported by 54th-ranked Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Swiatek and Paolini also contributed to the doubles victories which pushed their nations into the semi-finals on Saturday.

“Our singles players are more than capable of stepping in and imposing themselves. They very much know what their game and identity is,” said Keothavong.

“Like anything, it’s about executing it under pressure.

“I know I’ve got a team who thrive under pressure and in this competition, and they have shown it before. Hopefully they can show it again.”