CHINA has booked its automatic ticket to the 2025 Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup Finals after being announced as the host nation for the WTA Tour team tournament at year’s end. The Asian nation will join reigning champions Italy as the two countries to automatically qualify for the Finals, with the draw for the upcoming Qualifiers also announced last week.

Six groups of three nations will provide the remaining half dozen teams with the week commencing April 7 events played across three continents. Seeded countries Czech Republic, Slovakia, Australia and Poland will all host their groups, while Japan and Netherlands will also welcome two competing nations to their respective countries.

China has the luxury of automatic qualification for the next three years, with the deal between the Billie Jean King Cup and the host nation lasting until the 2027 event. The success comes off the back of Chinese number one Qinwen Zheng winning gold at the Paris Olympics, with the world number five excited about the prospect of the event in her home country.

“Having the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen is a dream come true for myself and other Chinese tennis players,” Zheng said. “It is an honor to welcome the world’s best players to our home country, where the passion for the sport is unmatched. “This event reflects the incredible progress of tennis in China and highlights how women’s sports continue to thrive here. “I can’t wait to see how it inspires more young girls to pick up a tennis racket and dream big.”

Top seeds in the Qualifiers, Canada will head to Japan alongside Romania for one of the six available BJK Cup Finals spots. Spain and Brazil join second seeds Czech Republic, with reigning runner-up Slovakia copping the most dangerous nation, with the United States, as well as Denmark in Group C.

Australia as fourth seeds will play host to Kazakhstan and Colombia, while Poland has a group of death against Switzerland and Ukraine in Group E. While Netherlands gained hosting rights in Group F, they will head in as strong underdogs against Great Britain and Germany who will join the Dutch in Holland.

BILLIE JEAN KING CUP QUALIFIERS DRAW:

Group A: Canada [1], Romania, Japan (host)
Group B: Czech Republic [2 – host], Spain, Brazil
Group C: Slovakia [3 – host], USA, Denmark
Group D: Australia [4 – host], Kazakhstan, Colombia
Group E: Poland [5 – host], Switzerland, Ukraine
Group F: Great Britain [6], Germany, Netherlands (host)

Qualified: Italy (defending champions) and China (Finals host nation)