Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek, and Emma Raducanu won the Billie Jean King Cup qualifications. With a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory over Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, Osaka’s dominant performance—which featured 15 aces—moved Japan closer to the BJK Cup Finals.
It was Osaka’s first return to team competition since February 2020, demonstrating her strength after childbirth. Japan took a 2-0 lead thanks to Nao Hibino’s dominant performance. In November, the qualifiers saw 16 nations compete for a position in the Finals in Seville, Spain, including defending champion Canada and others.
Australia, headed by captain Sam Stosur, quickly overtook Mexico. Meanwhile, Swiatek led Poland to a 2-0 victory over Switzerland, and Raducanu’s comeback sealed a stalemate between Britain and France. In the United States, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro rallied to give the team a 2-0 lead in Lindsay Davenport’s debut as captain.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Lesia Tsurenko defeated Romania in Florida, while Germany and Slovakia dominated Brazil and Slovenia. Swiatek’s impressive performance in Switzerland starkly contrasted with Magdalena Frech’s comeback victory. Raducanu’s tenacity on an indoor clay court helped Britain tie the score with France. Finally, in Sao Paulo, Germany defeated Brazil twice.
