Spain hopes to shine as host of the BJKC Finals in Seville

MADRID, 6 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The La Cartuja Stadium in Seville will be the stage where 12 teams will seek, starting this Tuesday, to win the Billie Jean King Cup 2023, a competition in which Switzerland defends its title and Spain wants to take advantage of its status as host to go as far as possible.

The Seville venue is already prepared to host until next Sunday the final phase of the formerly called Federation Cup, an event that has resisted Spanish women’s tennis for many years, which wants to take advantage of the warmth of the public to try to fight for it.

Spain is a five-time champion of this event, but all its trophies came together in the 90s (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998), under the leadership of Arancha Sánchez-Vicario and Conchita Martínez, the director from Huesca. of these Finals. Since the last success, three more finals, in 2000, 2002 and 2008, the last time they were in the fight for the title, losing in Madrid to Russia 4-0.

That weekend, Anabel Medina, captain of the Spanish team again, was in La Cartuja as a member of the team, where she hopes to end the bad fario under the new format and overcome, at least, the ’round robin’. Since his return to the elite, neither in 2021, in Prague, nor in 2022, in Glasgow, was he able to do it, although a year ago he had it well on track, but he missed the ticket on an unfortunate final day against Great Britain where he was not capable of winning neither a point nor a set.

Now, the national team will have to deal with a group where they will face Poland without their best player, Iga Swiatek, and Canada, against whom they will debut this Wednesday. To do this, Anabel Medina has the good news of the return of Paula Badosa, although the Catalan has not competed since last Wimbledon. Next to her, a Sara Sorribes in good shape and very seasoned in this BJKC, Rebeka Masarova, Cristina Bucsa and Marina Bassols.

The Finals will start this Tuesday with the defense of the title by Switzerland, with the doubt of Belinda Bencic, their number one and who, although she announced her pregnancy last week, is in Seville, against the Czech Republic, one of the favorites for the presence of Marketa Vondrousova, Wimbledon champion who arrives after playing the WTA Finals in Cancun (Mexico), as well as Barbora Krejcikova and Katarina Siniakova, who did so in doubles.

In addition, Australia and Slovenia will also play to open a Finals that will not feature some of the main stars since in addition to Swiatek there will not be the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, whose country cannot compete due to the invasion of Ukraine, the Americans Coco Gauff, current champion from the US Open, and Jessica Pegula, although other figures will be there such as the Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the aforementioned Vondrousova or the French Carolina Garcia.

2023-11-06 17:59:16
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