Japan rallies to beat Romania and reach quarterfinals of Billie Jean King Cup Finals

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Japan reached the quarterfinals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the first time since 2013 after rallying to defeat Romania 2-1 on Thursday.

Japan advanced when Eri Hozumi and Shuko Aoyama defeated Monica Niculescu and Elena Ruse 6-1, 7-5 in the deciding doubles match.

Ana Bogdan had put Romania ahead with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Nao Hibino in the first singles match of the day but Ena Shibahara pulled Japan level with a 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory over Jaqueline Cristian.

Japan will face Italy in the quarterfinals. The United States faced Slovakia later Thursday for a place in the last eight.

The the first match between Japan and Romania had been moved back two hours because of a severe weather alert that was in effect in the Malaga region until early in the day. The weather alert had already forced the opening meeting between Spain and Poland to be pushed back from Wednesday to Friday, when Germany is also facing Britain.

The Billie Jean King Cup Finals is taking place about two weeks after a powerful storm caused flash floods that killed more than 200 people in the Valencia region, east of Malaga.

The International Tennis Federation announced a donation to the Spanish Red Cross to support relief and recovery efforts in the region, and Spanish player Paula Badosa said she will donate half of her prize money to help the victims.

Both the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and the Davis Cup Finals are taking place in the southern Spanish city, with the men’s competition beginning next week, also at the Palacio de Deportes.

It is the first time that the women’s team tournament is taking place at the same venue as the Davis Cup and with overlapping dates. And for the second year in a row, it will offer equivalent prize money to the men’s competition.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

A general view of the Martin Carpena sportshall during the Billie Jean King Cup finals in Malaga, southern Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, after today's matches were canceled due to heavy rain and postponed until tomorrow. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A general view of the Martin Carpena sportshall during the Billie Jean King Cup finals in Malaga, southern Spain, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, after today's matches were canceled due to heavy rain and postponed until tomorrow. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Japan's Ena Shibahara returns the ball against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Romania's Jaqueline Cristian returns the ball against Japan's Ena Shibahara during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Japan's Ena Shibahara returns the ball against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Romania's Jaqueline Cristian serves against Japan's Ena Shibahara during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Romania's Jaqueline Cristian returns the ball against Japan's Ena Shibahara during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Japan's Ena Shibahara returns the ball against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Japan's Ena Shibahara smiles during her match against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Japan's Ena Shibahara returns the ball against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian during the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall, in Malaga, southern Spain, on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)