Captain Anne Keothavong said her Great Britain side “threw everything at it but came up short” after a 2-0 loss to the United States in the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals extended their wait for a maiden title.
Katie Boulter needed to beat world number seven Jessica Pegula to keep Britain in the tie after a battling Sonay Kartal lost to Emma Navarro in the first singles match.
But after Boulter took the first set, Pegula fought back to win 3-6 6-4 6-2 in Shenzhen and secure a 31st appearance in the final for Lindsay Davenport’s team.
Boulter and Kartal – who lost 3-6 6-4 6-3 to Navarro, a player ranked more than 60 places above her – were left to rue missed chances in two tight matches.
Both players left multiple break points unconverted in the second and third sets – Boulter only won two out of seven – and lost service games either side of breaks to invite pressure back on themselves.
“It’s really tough today,” Keothavong said. “The players should still hold their heads high. I think we really took it to the American team.
“You could see how much it meant to the players. They threw everything at it but came up short.
“It wasn’t to be this time.”
The US, the most successful team in the competition’s history with 18 titles, will face defending champions Italy in Sunday’s final.
Great Britain have lost in the semi-finals three times in the past four years while their most recent final appearance came in 1981.
“We’ve come such a long way,” Keothavong added. “We’ve showed consistency in recent years, challenging the very best.
“Our ambition is to lift that trophy one day. To lift that trophy, you’ve got to beat some of the best.”
