Billie Jean King Cup

U.S. Billie Jean King Cup Team Falls To Belgium

April 11, 2026 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team fell to Belgium, 3-1, in its Qualifying tie played Friday and Saturday on indoor red clay in Ostend, Belgium. An untimely injury to McCartney Kessler that forced her to retire while deadlocked in the third set vs. Elise Mertens and inspired performances from Hanne Vandewinkel and Greet Minnen led the Belgians to advance to the 2026 Finals in front of their home crowd inside the Coretec Dome.

“I honestly couldn’t be prouder of the five ladies that were here,” said U.S. captain Lindsay Davenport. “We tried really hard all week to find our groove and to figure out how we were gonna play, how we’re gonna get three points. But Belgium played so well. They had a great crowd here. We had a great experience, honestly, here in the country. We just never quite got to playing our best.

The American team will next play in the Playoff round the week of November 16 with the goal of returning to the Qualifying pool for 2027. Nations competing in the home-and-away Playoffs include the seven losing nations from this weekend’s Qualifying — including Japan, Australia, Slovenia, Canada and Poland — and the seven best-performing nations from regional Group I events also being played this weekend.

The USA’s opponent and site for the November playoff will be determined via draw held Thursday, April 23, at 6 a.m. ET.

Tennis Channel Extends Partnership To Broadcast Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup

August 4, 2025 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Tennis Channel and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have extended their long-running partnership with the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge^TM and Davis Cup, the World Cup of Tennis events for women and men, respectively.

Under the new multi-year agreement, Tennis Channel will remain the exclusive U.S. home for both tournaments across its linear channel, app and TennisChannel.com, continuing a relationship that began in 2009. The deal now runs through 2027 for the Billie Jean King Cup and 2028 for the Davis Cup. The extension also marks a significant expansion of Tennis Channel’s international reach, with rights to broadcast in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Additionally, rights for the Billie Jean King Cup have been secured in Spain – a new and important market where interest in women’s tennis continues to see strong growth.

The ITF is the global governing body of tennis and organises the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge and Davis Cup, the two largest annual international team competitions in the sport. Both events are played annually, with nations from across the world competing at a variety of stages throughout the year for the chance to progress to the next level.

Both competitions culminate with finals events that feature the year’s top eight nations competing in a knock-out competition for the right to be crowned world champions.

The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals will take place in Shenzhen, China, September 16-21, while the Davis Cup Final 8 is set for Bologna, Italy, November 18-23.

David Haggerty, ITF President, said “For many years Tennis Channel has helped bring the World Cup of Tennis to millions of people around the world and this extension is great news for both Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup. We look forward to continuing to work alongside Tennis Channel to continue this growth for years to come.”

The United States has won the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge 18 times and the Davis Cup 32 times, both records.

“Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup are iconic events in our sport and pillars of Tennis Channel’s schedule throughout the year,” said Jeff Blackburn, Chairman and CEO, Tennis Channel. “We’ve had a long-running partnership with the ITF and can’t wait for this next chapter with them. Together we want to shine as much light as we can on the history and passion surrounding the cups, and grow awareness and fans in both the U.S. and other countries.”

The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge remains the world’s largest annual international team competition in women’s tennis, with nations competing year-round for a place in the Finals. As the women’s World Cup of Tennis it brings together top players to represent their countries on a global stage, continuing a tradition of national pride and elite-level competition.

“We’re proud to strengthen our partnership with Tennis Channel, particularly in key international markets such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and now Spain, where women’s tennis continues to flourish. As the world’s leading platform for women’s national team tennis, the Billie Jean King Cup celebrates national pride, incredible talent and unique spirit on a global stage. This collaboration reflects our long-term commitment to showcasing the power of women’s tennis and expanding its reach to even more fans around the world,” said Kerstin Lutz, CEO of Billie Jean King Cup Limited.

This rights announcement comes on the heels of roster announcements made for the eight countries that have qualified for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in September. Among the stars who will try to help their nations become world champions are Jessica Pegula (USA), Zheng Qinwen (China), Madison Keys (USA), Jasmine Paolini (Italy), Paula Badosa (Spain), Naomi Osaka (Japan), Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan), Emma Raducanu (Great Britain) and Elina Svitolina (Ukraine).

Coco Gauff To Play Billie Jean King Cup Match For USA In Hometown of Delray Beach, Florida

February 3, 2023 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The USTA announced that Coco Gauff and the United States Billie Jean King Cup Team will play at the Delray Beach Tennis Center April 14-15 in a 2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifying competition vs. Austria.

Billie Jean King Cup – celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023 – is the ‘World Cup of Tennis,’ with more than 100 nations competing every year. The Qualifying competition is one of nine being held around the world in April, with the winners of each advancing to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals this fall to compete for the title. The United States leads all nations in all-time titles, with 18.

The Qualifier is a best-of-five match series that begins Friday, April 14, with two singles matches. Two reverse singles matches and a doubles match will follow on Saturday, April 15, with an amended Saturday schedule possible if one nation clinches victory in the third or fourth singles match.

Gauff is set to compete for the American team and Captain Kathy Rinaldi, who will nominate a total of four or five players to compete against the Austrians. The historical roster of U.S. Billie Jean King Cup participants is a veritable tennis hall of fame, and the U.S. currently has nine players ranked in the singles Top 50. The final team nominations will be made no later than March 13.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, February 7, via Ticketmaster.com, and are available for as low as $25 per day. Single- and two-day ticket packages are available. Visit usta.com/billiejeankingcup for more information.

USTA members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets in advance through an exclusive presale beginning today and running through Monday, or while supplies last.

Billie Jean King Cup events have had demonstrative effects on the local communities they’ve visited in recent years, with last year’s Qualifying event held in Asheville, N.C., generating an anticipated $8 million for the local economy.

“The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is thrilled to host the Billie Jean King Cup in The Palm Beaches,” said George Linley, Executive Director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. “This is a premier international team tennis event that will be exciting for sports fans around the world as well as our local hospitality and business community which will benefit greatly from the economic impact brought by an influx of visitors.”

The U.S. Billie Jean King Cup Team has played at the Delray Beach Tennis Center three times before, in 2005, 2007 and 2013, when the competition was known as Fed Cup. The U.S. went 3-0 in those competitions, with the 2013 matches featuring Serena and Venus Williams. The Americans last played in Florida in 2017, defeating the Czech Republic in Tampa en route to winning the title that year.

“We are excited to welcome the Billie Jean King Cup to Delray Beach,” said Laura Bowen, Executive Director of USTA Florida. “From Chris Evert to Serena Williams, Florida tennis courts have served as the proving ground for many great champions of the women’s game. We can’t wait to cheer on Florida’s own Captain Kathy Rinaldi, the incredible Coco Gauff and the entire U.S. team, as they show the world the power of women’s tennis to inspire, engage and win over a new generation of players and fans.”

Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup Team.