BJK Cup — big upsets
The Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers produced major shocks this weekend: Belgium knocked out the United States, while Italy advanced to the September Finals after beating Japan. (WTA) Coverage across roundups also noted that Canada and Australia failed to reach the Finals, leaving Italy among the early confirmed entrants. (TennisUpToDate) Belgium’s Hanne Vandewinkel beat Iva Jovic in Ostend as part of the upset over the U.S. tie. (WRAL) (wtatennis.com) (tennisuptodate.com) (wralsportsfan.com)
Belgium knocked the United States out of the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers on April 11, while Italy beat Japan to return to September’s Finals. (billiejeankingcup.com) (wtatennis.com) Belgium won the tie in Ostend after Hanne Vandewinkel beat Iva Jovic on opening day and Greet Minnen closed it out with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Jovic on Saturday. Elise Mertens had already put Belgium ahead on Friday when McCartney Kessler retired from their singles match. (billiejeankingcup.com 1) (billiejeankingcup.com 2) Italy, the defending champion, advanced by beating Japan in the qualifier tie played April 10-11. The official Billie Jean King Cup site listed Italy among the nations back in the Finals, and the Women’s Tennis Association said the Italians secured a return in style. (billiejeankingcup.com) (wtatennis.com) The Billie Jean King Cup is women’s team tennis, and this round decided places in the eight-nation Finals scheduled for September in Shenzhen. Seven qualifier winners joined host China in that field. (wtatennis.com) (tennisuptodate.com) The weekend changed the usual lineup. Tennis Up To Date’s roundup said the United States, Canada and Australia all failed to reach Shenzhen, while Belgium, Italy, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Czechia, Spain and Ukraine advanced. (tennisuptodate.com) (wtatennis.com) For the United States, the loss came with a reshaped roster. The official team list for the tie included Iva Jovic, Hailey Baptiste, McCartney Kessler, Caty McNally and Nicole Melichar, with Lindsay Davenport named captain. (billiejeankingcup.com) For Belgium, the upset was built around players outside the very top tier of the rankings. The Billie Jean King Cup site called Vandewinkel’s win over Jovic the biggest victory of her career and said it was her first against a Top 20 opponent. (billiejeankingcup.com) The other notable result was Great Britain’s win over Australia, which the Women’s Tennis Association and the Billie Jean King Cup site both described as an upset. By Saturday night, the 2026 Finals field was effectively set: China as host, plus Belgium, Italy, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Czechia, Spain and Ukraine. (wtatennis.com) (billiejeankingcup.com)
