Alicia Molik call backfires brutally amid Aussie tennis drama in BJK Cup

Aussie tennis great Alicia's Molik's faith in Daria Saville and Ajla Tomjlanovic has backfired after Australia went down 2-1 to Slovenia in the Billie Jean King Cup amid a scheduling 'disaster'. Australia were always going to be up against it in Seville, Spain, after the WTA Finals delay left Ellen Perez and Storm Hunter struggling to make the tie.

Molik had already addressed the WTA scheduling drama that left her best doubles players fighting to make it on time. Unfortunately, Saville and Tomjlanovic were dealt a huge blow having lost their singles ties in straight sets.

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Hunter arrived in Sevilla only 90 minutes before the tie and took to the court. The newly-crowned doubles World No.1 player teamed up with Kim Birrell to win their match and hand Australia a crucial point in the Bille Jean King Cup.

Australia will now play Kazakhstan in a must-win tie. Kazakhstan World No.3 Elena Rybakina will pose a huge threat in the singles, but Australia can look to reach the next stage. Australia will also need Kazakhstan to defeat Slovenia.

And after the match, Hunter looked back on the crazy drama leading into the tie that rocked the Aussies. And, Hunter showed her pride in the colours and was always determined to play even if the

"It's been a busy 24 hours. As soon as I finished in Cancun, I tried to get here as soon as I could - ended up landing at 8:30 this morning," she said. "Bags didn't arrive, so that made it a bit tricky, but I had some racquets on me and was prepared to play.

"I had my outfit, my shoes, and mentally was ready to go if our team needed that. It was a quick turnaround, but representing my country is the greatest honour and the most amazing thing I can ever do with my tennis career."

Molik had allowed Hunter to decide if she wanted to play, and who with, after the brutal travel time. "It's 18-hour door-to-door trip, so anyone can be forgiven for not wanting to play as (soon as) they land," Molik said.

Perez did not take part in the match having confirmed on social media she was still travelling after her WTA Finals doubles match had been delayed, impacting her schedule. The Australian doubles star took to social media after her tournament had ended and asked for help in travelling to Spain.

"Anyone got a private jet and want to fly me from Cancun to Seville tomorrow night to make it in time for BJKC Tuesday 10am match," she wrote. "Really not impressed with this scheduling disaster. Why do I have to be punished for this."

Ajla Tomjlanovic looks to bounce back for Australia

While Australia struggled against Slovenia, Tomjlanovic said it boded well her knee held up for her future ties. "The biggest takeaway is that my knee is good," she said.

"I have had some big rallies, some hustles, and not thinking about my knee compared to my previous matches That's a great sign. I'm back playing, and this is so much more valuable than a training week."

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