The 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier action took place this weekend. The winners of the nine Qualifier ties earned spots at the year-end Billie Jean King Cup Finals, where they will join defending champion Switzerland and last year's finalist Australia.
Here is a breakdown of the final results:
United States def. Austria 4-0
World No.3 Jessica Pegula closed out the tie for the Americans with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Julia Grabher. Pegula needed just under an hour to take down the Austrian No.1 on Saturday and book a spot in the Finals.
Locked in 🔒@JLPegula flies through in straight sets 6-1 6-3 and locks USA into the Finals 💪#BJKCup | @usta pic.twitter.com/omfHbIbdki
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) April 15, 2023
Pegula and World No.6 Coco Gauff eased through their three singles matches without the loss of a set over the weekend. Gauff then teamed with Caty McNally to pick up the doubles point as well.
The United States has won the most Billie Jean King Cup titles, with 18 accrued since the event began as the Federation Cup in 1963.
Czech Republic def. Ukraine 3-1
The Czechs took an upset loss in their first match on Saturday when Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk toppled Barbora Krejcikova 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. However, the Czechs got back on track and advanced to the Finals when Marketa Vondrousova beat Katarina Zavatska 6-3, 6-4.
The Czech Republic is looking to rekindle their recent dominance from the 2010s. In an eight-year span between 2011 and 2018, they won six Billie Jean King Cup titles.
Spain def. Mexico 3-1
Top-seeded Spain took an insurmountable 3-0 lead when Nuria Parrizas Diaz breezed past Marcela Zacarias 6-3, 6-0, clinching their spot in the Finals. Parrizas Diaz converted five of her nine break points to prevail.
It's a party in Marbella 🥳
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) April 15, 2023
Spain 3-0 Mexico #BJKCup | @RFETenis pic.twitter.com/ZOOPDFfjRM
Spain is also hoping to recapture their title-winning form from a past decade. The Spaniards controlled Billie Jean King Cup during the 1990s, winning five titles during that decade behind the powerhouse duo of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez.
Kazakhstan def. Poland 3-1
Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina sealed advancement for the Kazakhs with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette.
In the battle between Top 20 players, Rybakina won 74 percent of her second-service points, while Linette prevailed on 31 percent of her own second-service points. Poland won the dead doubles rubber to put a point on the board before the weekend was through.
France def. Great Britain 3-1
World No.5 Caroline Garcia sent her squad into the year-end Finals with a 6-1, 6-7(10), 6-1 win over Harriet Dart. Britain's Dart saved two match points in the second-set tiebreak, but France's Garcia held firm in the third set where she broke Dart twice.
Glorious Garcia 🤌@CaroGarcia secures the tie for France with a brilliant 6-1 6-7(10) 6-1 victory 🇫🇷#BJKCup | @FFTennis pic.twitter.com/cyt1hXZc9L
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) April 15, 2023
Garcia survived three tiebreak sets in her first match on Day 1, and her teammate Alizé Cornet also won in two tiebreak sets on Friday to start Saturday with a 2-0 lead. The French have won three Billie Jean King Cup titles, most recently in 2019.
Germany def. Brazil 3-1
Tied at 1-1 after Friday's matches, Germany took a 2-1 lead when last year's Wimbledon quarterfinalist Jule Niemeier garnered a Top 20 win over Beatriz Haddad Maia, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2.
Anna-Lena Friedsam then sent two-time Billie Jean King Cup champions Germany into the Finals with a 6-1, 6-0 dismissal of Laura Pigossi.
Italy def. Slovakia 3-2
Four-time Billie Jean King Cup champions Italy saw their 2-0 lead after Day 1 disappear when Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Viktoria Hruncakova grabbed singles wins on Saturday, leveling the tie at 2-2.
It's Party Time 🥳#BJKCup | @federtennis pic.twitter.com/M6T46bDdkB
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) April 15, 2023
In the decisive doubles, Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova served to complete their comeback at 5-4 in the third set. But Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Martina Trevisan reeled off three games in a row from the brink of defeat, breaking the Slovaks twice successively to eke out the win and advance.
Canada def. Belgium 3-2
In another tie that went down to the wire on Saturday, Leylah Fernandez fought back from a set down to defeat Ysaline Bonaventure 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and give Canada a 2-1 lead. But Greet Minnen pulled the Belgians level again with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Katherine Sebov.
After a back-and-forth weekend filled with close matches, Canada ended the tie with authority. Fernandez and Gabriela Dabrowski steamrolled Belgium's Minnen and Kirsten Flipkens 6-1, 6-2 in the doubles match, sending Canada into the Finals.
Slovenia def. Romania 3-2
Romania led 2-0 after Friday, but in a role reversal of Day 1, Tamara Zidansek and Kaja Juvan won their singles matches over Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristian respectively, leveling up the tie.
🇸🇮 COMEBACK COMPLETE 🇸🇮
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) April 16, 2023
Slovenia are the first nation to comeback from 0-2 down to win a #BJKCup tie since 2015! pic.twitter.com/Ti1ySrPz2V
The deciding doubles match was suspended overnight at 3-3 in the first set due to inclement weather. Upon resumption on Sunday, Juvan and Zidansek came back from a set down to capture the doubles point as well, completing the comeback and booking a spot in the Finals.