Just a day after Great Britain stunned Spain to reach the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup the Czech Republic completed a miraculous comeback of their own against 18-time winners USA at the Emirates Arena to reach the next stage alongside Switzerland.
The Group A clash between Switzerland and Canada was a virtual knockout after both earned wins over Italy.
Viktorija Golubic got the Swiss going with a 2-6 6-3 6-4 comeback win over former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu before Belinda Bencic defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-0 7-5 to give last year’s runners-up an unassailable lead.
Gabriela Dabrowski and Fernandez restored some pride for their side with a 6-2,6-1 doubles win over Jil Teichmann Simona Waltert.
The bigger surprise came in Group D when the Czech Republic dumped 18-time Billie Jean King Cup winners the USA out of the tournament after winning their tie 2-1.
Marketa Vondrousova started the tie with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins.
Vondrousova, who only returned to competition last month after a lengthy absence due to injury, set the base for her victory by winning eight straight games while winning more than 80% of her first serve points.
Katerina Siniakova then ensured the win for her team after a 7-6, 6-1 battle against French Open finalist Coco Gauff.
With the tie already over, Madison Keys and Taylor Townsend defeated Karolina Muchova and Karolina Pliskova 6-3,6-3 in the doubles.
Great Britain will now face Australia while the Czech Republic takes on Switzerland for a place in the finals.
