Noskova and Bouzkova seal wins as Czechia progress to BJK Cup semi-finals

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noskova-linda/zHMiAkw6/"]Noskova[/a]'s win secured a 2-0 win for the Czechs, who will next face either Kazakhstan or Spain as they seek their 12th title in the competition.[/p][p][b]"The first match is never easy, no matter what. So, I was surprised by the way that I played in the first set, especially,"[/b] said the sixth-ranked Noskova, who fired 15 aces and faced no break points.[/p][p][b]"Obviously, second set was a lot tougher. Katie served really well and didn't give me many chances, so I had to kind of use anything that I have in the tie-break, and that worked."[/b][/p][embed guid="d3d4ff3c-a192-472d-b6c5-a078a56b7579" url="https://x.com/BJKCup/status/2102409030643990565" social-type="twitter" /][p]Noskova breezed through the opening set and came up with clutch serves at crucial moments in the second to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/boulter-k-0SeXj3jT/noskova-l-zHMiAkw6/?mid=lYkZIhMc"]wrap up the match[/a].[/p][p]Earlier, Czech captain Barbora Strycova selected [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bouzkova-marie/WMS3AdAb/"]Marie Bouzkova[/a] as her No.2 singles player instead of the eighth-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muchova-karolina/Or4Qa1ye/"]Karolina Muchova[/a] - and was rewarded for her choice.[/p][p]Bouzkova used her all-court prowess and clever net play to put the Czechs in front, surviving a three-hour tug of war with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kartal-sonay/nFb01JTe/"]Sonay Kartal[/a] to record a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/bouzkova-m-WMS3AdAb/kartal-s-nFb01JTe/?mid=dv3mekUj"]7-6(2), 4-6, 6-4[/a] victory.[/p][p]World number 127 Kartal was playing her first competitive match in six months after recovering from a spinal stress fracture, and she did well to challenge the 26th-ranked Bouzkova but ultimately faded in the deciding set.[/p][p][b]"I think she played incredible. I think not playing for half a year and coming out the way she did, yeah, huge respect for her," [/b]said Bouzkova of her 24-year-old opponent.[/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="f926cd21-1b1c-44b0-8b20-21ae23e8d180" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="173e195e-b28b-45f2-965a-99ea984e513a" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Quarter-final action resumes on Wednesday at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center with the clash between Spain and Kazakhstan.[/p][p]Ukraine face Belgium on Thursday morning, before defending champions Italy take on China in the evening.[/p][p]The Italians are seeking a third successive crown but their top singles player [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/paolini-jasmine/noaX0EJn/"]Jasmine Paolini[/a] is taking nothing for granted as the team prepare for a tough affair against the hosts, led by Olympic champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zheng-qinwen/xCyEhjAS/"]Zheng Qinwen[/a].[/p][p][b]"Qinwen, she played amazing in the US Open,"[/b] Paolini told reporters on Tuesday.[/p][p]"We expect really high level of tennis from her. I think also the support from the Chinese fans will be great for them.[/p][p][b]"She's a great player. Very powerful. She can play really well on every surface. It's going to be a tough match. Hopefully I can play a great match and can be a great battle."[/b][/p]