Billie Jean King Cup 2024: Italy Seeks Historic Three-Peat in Shenzhen

The world title in women’s team tennis is back on the line, and this time the spotlight falls on Shenzhen.

From Sept. 22-27, the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre Arena becomes the center of the Billie Jean King Cup universe, where a record entry of 148 nations has been whittled down to eight: Italy, Great Britain, Ukraine, Spain, Czechia, Kazakhstan, Belgium and China. One week. One arena. One world champion.

Italy chase a slice of history

Italy arrive as the team everyone wants to beat and the one no one wants to face.

The two-time defending champions are hunting a historic three‑peat, something no nation has managed since Czechia’s run from 2014 to 2016. Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani, fresh off Olympic gold in women’s doubles at Paris 2024, headline a squad that knows how to win tight ties and embrace pressure, not shrink from it.

They’ll need every ounce of that pedigree. The draw handed them a brutal quarterfinal: China, on home soil, led by Olympic women’s singles champion Zheng Qinwen. Zheng is riding a wave after charging from qualifying to the U.S. Open quarterfinals, and she now steps into a national role with the country watching.

Italy’s captain Tathiana Garbin leans on Paolini, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Lucia Bronzetti, Errani and Tyra Grant. On paper, it’s a balanced group. On court, it’s a target. Everyone knows what a three‑peat would mean.

China, Zheng and the roar of home court

China could not have asked for a more enticing script.

Zheng Qinwen leads a roster that includes Shuai Zhang, Xiyu Wang, Hanyu Guo and Xinyu Jiang, captained by Jie Zheng. The combination of a reigning Olympic singles champion and a partisan Shenzhen crowd gives this team a surge of belief before a ball is struck.

China face Italy on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 5 a.m. ET. By then, the tone of the entire week may already have shifted. Knock out the champions, and the draw explodes.

Star power without Rybakina or Team USA

The tournament loses one of its biggest names before it even starts. Elena Rybakina, set to debut as World No. 1 at the Billie Jean King Cup, withdrew due to the Achilles tendon injury that dogged her U.S. Open title run. Kazakhstan’s challenge instantly looks different without their superstar.

Team USA, meanwhile, never made it this far, falling in the April qualifiers. No Rybakina. No Americans. Yet the field remains loaded.

Czechia bring World No. 6 Linda Noskova and No. 8 Karolina Muchova, both Grand Slam threats in their own right. Ukraine lean on No. 7 Elina Svitolina, a proven big‑stage competitor. The absence of some heavyweights doesn’t thin the field; it just redistributes the danger.

How the week will play out

Every tie follows the same simple, ruthless structure.

Quarterfinals open the week: four ties, each made up of two singles rubbers with a deciding doubles match if needed. First nation to two wins advances. The format stays identical for the semifinals and the final. Best-of-three sets across the board. No safety net. One bad day and a year’s work disappears.

The schedule (all at Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre Arena, all times ET):

Quarterfinals

• Tuesday, Sept. 22: Great Britain vs Czechia | 5 a.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 23: Spain vs Kazakhstan | 5 a.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 23: Ukraine vs Belgium | 10 p.m.
• Thursday, Sept. 24: China vs Italy | 5 a.m.

Semifinals

• Friday, Sept. 25: Winner of Match A vs Winner of Match D | 5 a.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 26: Winner of Match B vs Winner of Match C | 5 a.m.

Championship

• Sunday, Sept. 27: Winners of the semifinals | 5 a.m.

Every point, every changeover, every captain’s decision will be streamed on the official Billie Jean King Cup platforms, including billiejeankingcup.com and the World Cup of Tennis app.

The contenders, up close

The rosters reveal the fault lines of this Finals: some nations stacked with top‑10 stars, others built on depth, doubles chemistry and a belief that the team format can flip the script.

Belgium

Captain Wim Fissette leads a group of Hanne Vandewinkel, Greet Minnen, Jana Otzipka, Magali Kempen and Lara Salden. Jeline Vandromme withdrew, trimming the options but not the ambition. Belgium rarely arrive as favorites, but they often arrive as a problem.

China

Jie Zheng’s squad – Zheng Qinwen, Shuai Zhang, Xiyu Wang, Hanyu Guo, Xinyu Jiang – holds the most potent weapon in the draw: home advantage. If Zheng catches fire in singles, China suddenly look like a title threat, not just hosts.

Czechia

One of the great modern powers of women’s team tennis. Captain Barbora Strycova commands a fearsome lineup: Karolina Muchova, Linda Noskova, Marie Bouzkova, Katerina Siniakova and Sara Bejlek. They bring star singles players and one of the best doubles pedigrees in the competition. Great Britain face them first. It’s a brutal assignment.

Great Britain

Anne Keothavong’s team of Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart, Sonay Kartal, Mika Stojsavljevic and Jodie Burrage arrive with nothing to lose and everything to gain. They open the Finals against Czechia on Tuesday at 5 a.m. ET, a tie that will test their depth and nerve immediately.

Italy

Paolini, Cocciaretto, Bronzetti, Errani and Grant give Garbin a blend of grit, experience and recent success on the biggest stages. They know what a final feels like. They know what lifting the trophy feels like. The question is whether they can do it again with a target on their backs and a hostile crowd in China.

Kazakhstan

Without Rybakina, captain Yuriy Schukin turns to Yulia Putintseva, Anna Danilina, Zhibek Kulambayeva and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva. Putintseva’s fire and Danilina’s doubles quality keep Kazakhstan dangerous, even if the headline act is missing.

Spain

Carla Suarez Navarro leads Cristina Bucsa, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Kaitlin Quevedo, Marina Bassols Ribera and Sara Sorribes Tormo. Spain lean heavily on Sorribes Tormo’s grinding baseline game and team‑event savvy. They open against Kazakhstan on Wednesday at 5 a.m. ET in a tie that could swing on doubles.

Ukraine

Ukraine arrive with both star power and emotional edge. Captain Illya Marchenko has Elina Svitolina, Anhelina Kalinina, Katarina Zavatska and Lyudmyla Kichenok at his disposal. Marta Kostyuk’s withdrawal with a wrist injury is a blow, but Svitolina’s presence alone changes the feel of any tie. They meet Belgium on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.

A title, a dynasty, or a breakthrough?

Eight nations stand on the brink of very different stories.

Italy chase a dynasty. Czechia want their crown back. China sense a chance to ignite a new era in front of their own fans. Ukraine, Spain, Great Britain, Belgium and Kazakhstan all see a rare opening in a draw missing Rybakina and the United States.

By Sunday morning in Shenzhen, one flag will rise above the rest. The only question now: whose week is it going to be?