US and Great Britain discover Round 1 ties as Billie Jean King Cup Finals draw is revealed
The Billie Jean King Cup Finals draw has been revealed, with the US and Great Britain initially handed favourable draws in their opening round encounters.
Set to be held in Seville this November, the Finals have previously been held over a round-robin format, though is now a straight knockout competition across eight days of action.
Defending champions Canada, 2023 finalists Italy, Wildcards Czechia, and 2022 finalists Australia have all been handed opening byes, meaning they will not play until the quarter-final stage.
However, the 11 nations that qualified for the Finals earlier this month – and hosts Spain, who received a bye into the event – have now discovered who they will face in Round One.
Arguably the favourites to win, due to their strength and depth, the US has been drawn against Slovakia in their opening tie – one of the best draws possible in terms of BJK Cup ranking.
Should the US team – captained by Lindsay Davenport – progress, they would face Australia in the quarter-finals before a potential blockbuster semi-final against Canada.
Anchored by Leylah Fernandez to victory last Autumn, Canada will begin their title defence against Great Britain or Germany, who face off in the opening round.
Having stunned France to reach the Finals, Great Britain will likely be favourites for that encounter, assuming they can call on the services of Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu.
The 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals Draw is set
12-20 November, Seville, Spain #BJKCup pic.twitter.com/gawprVtGRF
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) April 30, 2024
Perhaps the biggest round one draw sees hosts Spain up against Poland, who will likely call on the services of world No 1 Iga Swiatek for their campaign in Seville.
The winner of that tie will face Czechia in the quarter-finals, who could be anchored by reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
They are on the same side as the draw as Italy, who will face the winner of the opening round tie between Japan and Romania.
Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka starred for Japan in the qualification stage and could well feature for them this November, while Romania rallied from 2-0 down against Ukraine in their qualifier to reach this stage – and may have the returning Simona Halep in their squad.
The Finals will take place from 12-20 November, with the extension to the format and length of the event announced by the ITF last week.
The controversial change means that the final will now take place on a Wednesday, and the latter stages will overlap with the Davis Cup Finals, which are being held in Malaga that same week.