Qualificazioni alla Coppa BJK: Australia, Polonia, USA e Slovacchia trionfano facilmente. Gran Bretagna sorprende in Francia, il Giappone sconfigge il Kazakistan.

First responses for the 2024 edition of the Billie Jean King Cup, the women’s version of the Davis Cup. The event, whose format mirrors that of its male counterpart, saw the Qualifiers take place this past weekend to determine the teams participating in the final phase of the event, set to be held in a single location in Seville in mid-November.

Australia – Mexico 4-0

The first nation to secure a spot was Australia, which easily defeated Mexico 4-0 at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane. After victories in the singles matches on the first day, on Saturday, the very young Taylah Preston (18 years old, World No. 136) secured the 3-0 point by beating Mexican Marcela Zacarias (World No. 562) with a resounding 6-1, 6-1. With the score in hand, the home team also won the doubles, perfecting the final score of 4-0.

Switzerland – Poland 0-4

The Polish team also achieved a decisive victory, defeating Switzerland without losing a single point on the indoor cement in Bern. The decisive victory was achieved by the world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who defeated Celine Naef 6-4, 6-3, after she had lost a nearly three-hour marathon match against Magdalena Frech the day before. The Polish team also won the doubles in two sets, earning their ticket to Seville, where Iga Swiatek will likely be present.

France – Great Britain 1-3

The British team won at Le Chaudron in Le Portel, a seaside town overlooking the English Channel, claiming victory in both singles matches on the second day, after the score was tied at 1-1 at the end of the first day.

Katie Boulter (World No. 28) defeated French player Clara Burel (World No. 44) 7-5, 6-0 in an hour and 44 minutes to start the day. The former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, now ranked No. 302 due to injuries, secured the decisive victory for Team GB by defeating Diane Parry (World No. 49) 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(1) in almost three hours of play. Raducanu was ahead 5-2 in the final match and missed two match points when she tried to serve for the match at 5-3. However, once the decisive tiebreak was reached, she dominated the match, winning it 7-1 and securing a spot for her team among the 12 teams in Seville.

United States – Belgium 4-0

The US team, led by Lindsay Davenport for the first time, defeated Belgium without losing a single match on the indoor cement at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, near Orlando. The “billion dollar team” formed by Jessica Pegula (World No. 5) and newcomer Emma Navarro (World No. 21) won the first two singles matches on the opening day and closed on Saturday with Jessica Pegula’s victory over Hanne Vandewinkel (World No. 278) 6-2, 6-0 in just 51 minutes. Caroline Dolehide and Taylor Townsend then sealed the deal with a win in the final doubles match.

Japan – Kazakhstan 3-1

At the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, the host nation Japan defeated Kazakhstan 3-1. After Nao Hibino and Naomi Osaka beat Anna Danilina and Yulia Putintseva respectively on Friday, Nao Hibino (World No. 79) secured the 3-0 point with a nail-biting victory over Yulia Putintseva (World No. 5…