Coco Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova, Bianca Andreescu: Who will be key players at Billie Jean King Cup Finals?
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Updated 08/11/2022 at 07:43 GMT
Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu will not be competing at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow this week but there will still be plenty of star power. The 12-team tournament will feature one of the world's top singles and doubles players, Coco Gauff, as well as former Grand Slam winners Barbora Krejcikova and Bianca Andreescu. But who will be the key players at the event?
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The Billie Jean King Cup Finals take place next week as 12 nations battle it out to be crowned champions in Glasgow.
Even though world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and British No. 1 Emma Raducanu will not be playing the event, a number of the top women’s players will be in attendance.
With only the winners of the four groups advancing to the knockout stages, every match will count. So which players could have a decisive role in deciding the destiny of the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup?
Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff did not have a good time of it at the WTA Finals.
The 18-year-old was the youngest player to qualify for the tournament in singles since Maria Sharapova in 2005, and also played in the doubles alongside fellow American Jessica Pegula. Together, Gauff and Pegula went 0-9, failing to tally a win between them.
Pegula has opted to withdraw from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals following the WTA Finals in Texas, so world No. 4 Gauff will now lead the United States team.
It will be a quick turnaround for the 18-year-old, who will be hoping to bounce back after her "worst week of the year".
"I never lost so much so fast. It’s an adjustment I guess. Going to BJK Cup I think will be better, I have a team and team-mates who are ready to play."
USA are in a tricky group that contains 11-time champions Czech Republic and Poland.
While they do have strength in depth with world No. 11 Madison Keys and world No. 14 Danielle Collins also in their ranks, Gauff will likely be key to USA's chances of success.
Barbora Krejcikova
After a mostly disappointing, injury-disrupted season, 2021 French Open Barbora Krejcikova champion has found some form at the business end of the year.
Krejcikova won back-to-back tournaments in October, including beating Swiatek in a thrilling final at the Ostrava Open. She also won the US Open doubles with fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova – their third Grand Slam doubles title of the year - and the pair made the final of the WTA Finals on Monday evening before travelling to Glasgow.
Even though travelling across timezones with little rest could be an issue, Krejcikova and Siniakova should still be the doubles team to beat, having won 27 of their 31 matches together in 2022.
Krejcikova could be the key player at the whole tournament.
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Katerina Siniakova (L) and Barbora Krejcikova have won three Grand Slam doubles titles this year
Image credit: Getty Images
If she can win her singles match against the USA then that might prove decisive in that tie, as Krejcikova and Siniakova will likely be favourites to win the doubles (they beat Pegula and Gauff 6-2 6-1 at the WTA Finals last week). And if Czech Republic make it out of the group and Krejcikova is playing well then they could be very difficult to stop.
The most recent of Czech Republic’s 11 titles came in 2018 when they beat USA in the final.
Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu
With former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez and one of the top-ranked women’s doubles players, Gabriela Dabrowski, in their line-up, Canada could be contenders.
Much, though, will depend on the form and fitness of Fernandez and Andreescu.
Fernandez has not played her best tennis since returning from a foot injury at the French Open and in her last tournament was beaten by fellow Canadian Rebecca Marino, ranked No. 67 in the world. If she can find a decent level she could still be a tough out in singles.
Andreescu has shown some signs of rediscovering her groove in recent months following a difficult couple of seasons. She beat an in-form Liudmila Samsonova at the San Diego Open and only lost two games in the last two sets in victory over Petra Kvitova in Guadalajara. If Fernandez is not on top form then Canada’s chances could revolve around Andreescu’s results.
Harriet Dart
There’s no Raducanu for Great Britain due to a wrist injury so Harriet Dart will be the top-ranked singles player.
If GB are going to get out of their group, which also contains Spain and Kazakhstan, then Dart will surely have a key role to play. She has broken into the top 100 this year for the first time and has pulled out some decent wins against Elina Svitolina, Daria Kasatkina, Donna Vekic and Camila Giorgi.
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Great Britain's Harriet Dart
Image credit: Getty Images
Dart also beat Nuria Parrizas Diaz, who will be Spain’s No.2 ranked singles player, in straight sets last month. With a home crowd behind her, Dart will be hoping she can upset Spain’s out-of-form No. 1, Paula Badosa, and give GB a chance of at least making the semi-finals.
Belinda Bencic
“We will come back and win this title,” was Belinda Bencic’s defiant message after Switzerland were beaten in last year’s final by Russia.
Bencic was an integral player for Switzerland in 2021, beating Angelique Kerber and Krejcikova in singles. She won the Billie Jean King Cup Heart award for her performances at the finals and will be raring to go again in a competition in which she boasts an 18-8 record in singles and doubles.
Bencic is still yet to become a consistent threat at the biggest events on the WTA Tour but team competition has sometimes brought the best out of the 25-year-old, who won Olympic gold for Switzerland in 2021.
Backed up by Jil Teichmann, who has an impressive 7-1 record at the Billie Jean King Cup, Bencic could lead Switzerland to their first victory in the competition.
What's the Billie Jean King Cup Finals schedule?
Tuesday, November 8
Australia v Slovakia – 10am GMT
Kazakhstan v Great Britain – not before 4pm GMT
Wednesday, November 9
Switzerland v Italy – 10am GMT
Belgium v Slovakia – 10am GMT
USA v Poland – NB 4pm GMT
Spain v Kazakhstan – NB 4pm GMT
Thursday, November 10
Australia v Belgium – 10am GMT
Italy v Canada – 10am GMT
Spain v Great Britain – NB 4pm GMT
Czech Republic v Poland – NB 4pm GMT
Friday, November 11
Switzerland v Canada – 11.02am GMT
Czech Republic v USA – NB 4.30pm GMT
Saturday, November 12
Semi-final 1 – 10am GMT
Semi-final 2 – NB 4pm GMT
Sunday, November 13
Final – 2pm GMT
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