Japan and the United States have earned the last two of the eight places in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in September. They both won their final qualifying matches 2-1 against Canada and Slovakia on Saturday.
In Tokyo, Japan, playing at home against Canada (the 2023 champions), initially fell behind 1-0. Victoria Mboko, an 18-year-old, defeated Ena Shibahara in a close singles match: 6-4, 6-7(8), 7-5. Mboko needed six match points to win this match that lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes.
However, Moyuka Uchijima then won against Marina Stakusic 6-3, 6-3, tying the score. In the crucial doubles match, Shibahara teamed up with her former partner Shuko Aoyama. They secured a tough victory 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 against Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino. This win means Japan will compete in the Finals for the second year in a row.
Team captain Ai Sugiyama commented, “This isn`t the end. We are really excited to go to Shenzhen. It feels amazing. The first match didn`t go our way, but Moyuka played incredibly in the second match. The doubles could have gone either way, but we fought hard for every point. We succeeded, and it was an unbelievable day.”
Meanwhile, in Bratislava, the United States defeated Slovakia, the host nation, for the first time in their Billie Jean King Cup history. Previously, the U.S. had lost to Slovakia at the Finals in both 2021 and 2024. Hailey Baptiste and Bernarda Pera, who joined the team just before the Qualifiers, both won their singles matches against Renata Jamrichova and Rebecca Sramkova in straight sets. This extended their weekend record to 4-0.
After the match, U.S. captain Lindsay Davenport said, “They were fantastic all week and in practice. We felt like we had good momentum, confidence, and team chemistry. It was amazing to see Hailey and Bernarda perform so well, especially Bernarda. She played against a higher-ranked player and remained calm in important moments. I am really proud.”
Baptiste won decisively against 17-year-old Jamrichova, the junior world No. 1 in 2024, with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Pera then secured the U.S.`s place in Shenzhen by defeating Rebecca Sramkova, who is ranked No. 37 in the world, 7-6(2), 7-5. Pera is ranked almost 40 places below Sramkova in the WTA rankings.
Pera, ranked No. 76, lost a lead in the first set but then broke Sramkova to force a tiebreak, which she won easily. In the second set, despite being down 4-0 and 5-2, Pera came back to win without facing a set point.
Pera said after her victory, “Oh my god, it feels amazing! Who would have thought? On Monday, I was practicing on clay to play in Rouen when I got a call from Lindsay asking me to join the team. I was very nervous coming here, as it’s my first time on the team. I’m incredibly happy and excited about the win.”
She added, “Honestly, I`m overwhelmed with emotions. I’m so happy. I just told Lindsay that this has been one of the best weeks ever. I had so much fun with the team. The girls are amazing. I received so much support from all of them, and I’m super happy. The whole team was just amazing, and I’m so, so happy I got to experience this.”
The 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals will take place from September 16-21. The teams competing will be: hosts China, defending champions Italy, Great Britain, Japan, Kazakhstan, Spain, Ukraine, and the United States.
