Poland and Switzerland won the respective men’s and women’s competitions at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup European qualification event in Vilamoura in Portugal ©BNP Paribas World Team Cup

Poland and Switzerland won the respective men’s and women’s competitions at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup European qualification event in Vilamoura in Portugal, securing their place in the World Group in Sardinia in May.

Tadeusz Kruszelnicki set top seeds Poland on their way to victory against Austria in the opening singles rubber of the men’s final, beating Martin Legner 6-0, 6-4 to extend his record of not having lost to his opponent since 2014.

The other singles rubber was played simultaneously due to rain delays and saw Kamil Fabisiak seal a 2-0 win after defeating Nico Langmann 6-2, 6-1.

"We were used to entering directly into the World Team Cup finals but this year they changed the organisation of the World Group and we had to come to play this European Qualification," Poland coach Rafal Helbik said.

"It was not easy at all and we were even experiencing some problems a few weeks before the tournament started, but it was very important for our players to have been able to play in the Vilamoura Open Futures the previous week to this qualifier."

Kruszelnicki and Fabisiak reached the final with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Greece’s Giorgos Lazaridis and Stefanos Diamantis, while Legner and Langman overcame Hungary’s Laszlo Farkas and Roland Nemeth 2-1.

Greece, the winners of the men’s event in three of the previous four years, finished third after beating the Hungarians 2-1 in a play-off. 

Greece's Giorgos Lazaridis and Stefanos Diamantis, pictured, finished third in the men's event ©Getty Images
Greece's Giorgos Lazaridis and Stefanos Diamantis, pictured, finished third in the men's event ©Getty Images

In the women’s final, Switzerland’s Karin Suter and Nalani Buob beat Sweden’s Sanna Klindt and Rebecka Bellander 2-1.

Former world number six Suter, who has previously led Switzerland to the women’s World Group final at the International Tennis Federation’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event, comfortably won her opening singles rubber against Klindt 6-0, 6-2.

Bellander replied with a 6-3, 6-3 win over world number one junior Buob, but a one-sided deciding doubles rubber went the way of the Swiss pairing 6-1, 6-0.

"It was a difficult qualification because all our victories, one over Belgium and two over Sweden, were always stamped in doubles," Switzerland’s captain Thomas Gerber said.

"But we have two very experienced players, Gabriela Buehler and Karin Suter, who has played many World Team Cups, and a young woman, Nalani Buob, who won the Junior Masters this year."

Switzerland will now go onto contest the women’s World Group for the 20th time in Sardinia.