ITF

2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals Seville, Spain 7-12 November Group A Switzerland, Czechia, USA Group B Australia, Kazakhstan, Slovenia Group C Spain, Canada, Poland Group D France, Italy, Germany The 12 teams will compete in four round-robin groups of three, with the winner of each group advancing to the semi-finals. For team updates, the latest news and live coverage visit www.billiejeankingcup.com C L I C K H E R E FO R M O R E Clockwise from le : 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova compe ng for Czechia in April; USA's Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula; Elena Rybakina in ac on for Kazakhstan; Belinda Bencic and Jill Teichmann celebrate Switzerland's victory last year ITF World Summer 2023 17 BILLIE JEAN KING CUP Last year's champions Switzerland received a bye into the Finals so there a fewer clues to the their collective form in 2023, but Belinda Bencic and her teammates have shown that they thrive in the kind of atmosphere generated by Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge. The same can be said of Australia, who also received direct qualification for the Finals as runners-up in 2022. The Aussies are drawn in Group B and will face stiff opposition from an Elena Rybakina-led Kazakhstan team. Slovenia rounds out the group, having qualified for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the first time. Hosts Spain compete in Group C, and will need plenty of support from the home crowd as they take on Poland, who are likely to have the world No.1 Iga Swiatek in their arsenal, and Canada for a place in the semis. The Spanish have won the Billie Jean King Cup five times, but not since 1998. Group D features a trio of European nations that will be more evenly matched. France, three-time champions, are back in the elite tier of Billie Jean King Cup after a year's gap, as are two-time champions Germany. Italy, who have won the competition four times, could be the ones to watch, with five women in the top 100 including the fast-rising 22-year-old Elisabetta Cocciaretto. n

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