United States Advances to Billie Jean King Cup Semifinals
SHENZHEN, China – The American team, led by Jessica Pegula and Taylor Townsend, secured their place in the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup, marking their first appearance in this phase since 2021. The achievement was realized after defeating Kazakhstan with a score of 2-1 last Thursday.
The duo of Pegula and Townsend defeated Yulia Putintseva and Elena Rybakina in the decisive doubles match, with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (1), thus sealing their passage to the next round.
In the singles, Emma Navarro achieved a victory over Putintseva with scores of 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (6). However, Rybakina evened the quarter-final series by defeating Pegula with a score of 6-4, 6-1.
Townsend, a prominent two-time doubles champion in major tournaments, sparked controversy this week due to comments about Chinese food, for which she later apologized.
The United States will face Japan or Great Britain in the semifinals on Saturday. The match between Japan and Great Britain took place later on Thursday.
In the other bracket of the tournament, Ukraine will face the current champion, Italy, in the semifinals on Friday. Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina obtained singles victories against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Paula Badosa, respectively, securing Ukraine’s place in the final four. Italy had previously defeated China, the host country.
The BJK Cup, formerly known as the Fed Cup, has the United States as the most successful team, with 18 titles. However, they have not achieved the championship since 2017.
