The International Tennis Federation (ITF, for its acronym in English) announced this Wednesday that Seville will host the final phase of the Billie Jean King Cup, formerly the Federation Cup, from November 7 to 12 of this year.
The Andalusian city will host the most important national team tournament in the women’s category with the hope that Paula Badosa and Garbiñe Muguruza, who is currently taking a break from their professional career, will lead the team led by Anabel Medina and that, without their two stars, gained access to the final phase a month ago against Mexico in Marbella.
Together with Spain, Switzerland will compete in the tournament, as last year’s champion, Australia, as runner-up, Poland, which has received an invitation with the world number one, Iga Swiatek, as a great claim, and the eight nations that achieved their classification in the ‘playoff’ in April: Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Slovenia and the United States.
The teams will be divided into four groups of three, with the four winners advancing to the semifinals. Each crossing will be made up of two individual matches and one doubles.
Seville will host the tournament for the next two years, with the option of a third, while Córdoba will host the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup Finals in the junior category, thanks to an agreement reached by the ITF and the Junta de Andalucía .
This edition will mark the 60th anniversary of the competition’s birth in 1963, when the United States won a tournament held at the Queen’s Tennis Club in London.
“We are very confident that Seville will be a fantastic venue for the competition and the culmination of a very exciting year of tennis. It will be the perfect venue for an electric atmosphere at the Billie Jean King Cup,” ITF President David Haggerty said in a statement.
Arturo Bernal, Andalusia’s tourism minister, stated that Andalusia “has earned the right to be a destination for the most important sporting events.” “Everyone wants to come to our region because of the warm welcome we give to the athletes and the great infrastructure we have here. That is why the ITF has trusted us once again and we will become the first region to host the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup in the same year.”
The Martín Carpena de Málaga will host the Davis Cup Finals that will be played from November 21 to 26 of this year.
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