Swiatek, Halep, Raducanu lead Billie Jean King Cup team nominations

World No.4 Iga Swiatek View Profile , No.7 Paula Badosa View Profile , and US Open champion Emma Raducanu View Profile are among the star-studded lineup at the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, which are set to take place on April 15-16.
The ITF announced the team nominations for the qualifying event, which includes seven major champions in the mix. Along with Swiatek and Raducanu, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, Garbiñe Muguruza, Jelena Ostapenko View Profile , and Sloane Stephens will are set to represent their respective countries in hopes of advancing to the Billie Jean King Cup finals in November at the O2 Arena in Prague. Australia, Belgium, Slovakia, and Switzerland have already qualified for the finals.
The Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers has the potential of producing a number of blockbuster ties.
🔝 @USTA 🇺🇸#BJKCup pic.twitter.com/wO3rYBOxwc
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) March 18, 2022
The United States is the most successful country in the Billie Jean King Cup, having won the competition 18 times, most recently in 2018. Led by Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins View Profile , No.19 Jessica Pegula View Profile , and 2017 US Open champion Stephens, the Americans will host Ukraine in Asheville, North Carolina. Ukraine will be counting on former World No.3 Elina Svitolina View Profile and 19-year-old talent Marta Kostyuk View Profile in singles, with the experienced doubles team of Lyudmyla Kichenok and Nadiia Kichenok playing a key role.
The Czech Republic, led by 2019 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova View Profile , will host Great Britain, where 19-year-old Raducanu is set to make her Billie Jean King Cup debut. The 11-time champion Czechs have chosen to host the tie on outdoor clay in Prague.
Led by 20-year-old Swiatek, Poland will host Halep's Romanian team on indoor hardcourts in Radom, Poland, where a rematch of the Indian Wells semifinal between the two could be in the cards.
Rounding out the ties: US Open finalist and World No.31 Leylah Fernandez View Profile will lead the Canadian team in a home tie in Vancouver against Dubai champion Jelena Ostapenko View Profile 's Latvian squad, Montreal champion Camila Giorgi will lead the Italian squad at home against Alizé Cornet and Caroline Garcia View Profile 's French team, Spain will send a loaded team featuring Badosa, Mugurusa, and Sara Sorribes Tormo View Profile to the Netherlands to play on indoor clay, and Germany will head to Kazakhstan to face a tough team led by No.20 Elena Rybakina View Profile and Yulia Putintseva View Profile .
Each qualifying tie consists of two singles matches on the first day of play (when each nation’s No.1 singles player competes against the opposition’s No.2 player), followed by two singles matches (No.1 v. No.1 then No.2 v. No.2) and a doubles match on the second day. The team with the higher aggregate score will advance to the finals.
Full team nominations:
ITALY v FRANCE
Venue: Tennis Club Alghero, Alghero SS, ITA
Surface: hard – outdoor
Head-to-head: France lead 8-3
Italy
Camila Giorgi
Jasmine Paolini View Profile
Martina Trevisan View Profile
Lucia Bronzetti View Profile
Elisabetta Cocciaretto View Profile
Captain: Tathiana Garbin
France
Alize Cornet
Caroline Garcia View Profile
Clara Burel View Profile
Kristina Mladenovic View Profile
Captain: Julien Benneteau
USA v UKRAINE
Venue: Harrah's Cherokee Center, Asheville, USA
Surface: hard – indoor
Head-to-head: USA lead 1-0
USA
Danielle Collins View Profile
Jessica Pegula View Profile
Sloane Stephens
Shelby Rogers
Desirae Krawczyk
Captain: Kathy Rinaldi
Ukraine
Elina Svitolina View Profile
Marta Kostyuk View Profile
Katarina Zavatska
Lyudmyla Kichenok
Nadiia Kichenok
Captain: Olga Savchuk
🇬🇧TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT 🇬🇧
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) March 18, 2022
📅 15-16 April
🎾 🇨🇿🆚🇬🇧
📍 Prague (Czech Republic)#BJKCup | @the_LTA pic.twitter.com/GT9WHWwI7l
CZECH REPUBLIC v GREAT BRITAIN
Venue: Tennis Club I.CLTK Prague, Prague, CZE
Surface: clay – outdoor
Head-to-head: tied 3-3 (including meetings between Czechoslovakia and Great Britain)
Czech Republic
Marketa Vondrousova View Profile
Tereza Martincova
Katerina Siniakova View Profile
Karolina Muchova View Profile
Captain: Petr Pala
Great Britain
Emma Raducanu View Profile
Harriet Dart View Profile
Katie Swan
Sonay Kartal View Profile
Captain: Anne Keothavong
KAZAKHSTAN v GERMANY
Venue: National Tennis Centre, Nur-Sultan, KAZ
Surface: clay – indoor
Head-to-head: first meeting
Kazakhstan
Elena Rybakina View Profile
Yulia Putintseva View Profile
Zarina Diyas View Profile
Anna Danilina
Zhibek Kulambayeva View Profile
Captain: Yaroslava Shvedova
Germany
Angelique Kerber
Andrea Petkovic
Jule Niemeier View Profile
Anna-Lena Friedsam View Profile
Laura Siegemund View Profile
Captain: Rainer Schuettler
Are you ready for this? 🍿 @leylahfernandez 🔜🔥 pic.twitter.com/IAXrqikQaW
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) March 18, 2022
CANADA v LATVIA
Venue: Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, CAN
Surface: hard – indoor
Head-to-head: first meeting
Canada
Leylah Fernandez View Profile
Rebecca Marino View Profile
Carol Zhao View Profile
Francoise Abanda
Gabriela Dabrowski
Captain: Heidi El Tabakh
Latvia
Jelena Ostapenko View Profile
Daniela Vismane
Diana Marcinkevica
Darja Semenistaja View Profile
Captain: Adrians Zguns
NETHERLANDS v SPAIN
Venue: Maaspoort Sports & Events, s-Hertogenbosch, NED
Surface: clay – indoor
Head-to-head: Spain lead 3-0
Netherlands
Arantxa Rus View Profile
Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove
Arianne Hartono View Profile
Demi Schuurs
Captain: Elise Tamaela
Spain
Paula Badosa View Profile
Garbine Muguruza
Sara Sorribes Tormo View Profile
Nuria Parrizas-Diaz
Rebeka Masarova View Profile
Captain: Anabel Medina Garrigues
POLAND v ROMANIA
Venue: Radomskie Centrum Sportu, Radom, POL
Surface: hard – indoor
Head-to-head: Poland lead 4-2
Poland
Iga Swiatek View Profile
Magda Linette View Profile
Magdalena Frech View Profile
Maja Chwalinska View Profile
Alicja Rosolska
Captain: Dawid Celt
Romania
Simona Halep
Elena Gabriela Ruse
Irina-Camelia Begu View Profile
Monica Niculescu
Captain: Horia Tecau
It's good to have you back, @Simona_Halep 😍#BJKCup pic.twitter.com/Yq1PzTeE80
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) March 18, 2022