GB miss out on spot in BJK Cup Finals

Great Britain were already 2-0 down after Friday's first day before Harriet Dart returned to court on Saturday

Great Britain have missed out on the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after Harriet Dart's loss to France's world number five Caroline Garcia sealed defeat in their best-of-five qualifier.

The 2022 US Open semi-finalist's win gave France an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Instead of being in the 12-team Finals, Britain must contest a play-off to earn a spot in the 2024 qualifiers.

Anne Keothavong's squad will be demoted to the Group I stage of the competition - the level below the top world tier and played regionally in the European/African zone - if they lose the tie in November.

• Watch the remainder of Great Britain's BJK Cup tie against France

Britain always faced a tough challenge against a French team who are much stronger in terms of rankings and previous pedigree.

The task became even harder when they lost two tight singles matches in Coventry on Friday, which featured five tie-breaks and fine margins as Dart lost to Alize Cornet after team-mate Katie Boulter was edged out by Garcia.

The nature of those defeats left British captain Keothavong describing sport as being "brutal" and she was tasked with picking up her players overnight.

More to follow.