Czechia has claimed their 12th title at the Billie Jean King Cup after sealing a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Shenzhen on Sunday.
The Czech team relied on Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova, who played against each other in this year’s Wimbledon final, to guide them to their first title since 2018. They are the second-most decorated team in the event after America, which has won the title 18 times.
Muchova got the Czech’s off to a flying start by defeating Anhelina Kalinina 6-2, 6-3 in 70 minutes without facing a break point. Noskova then sealed the tie by ousting Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6(5), in a tightly contested encounter.
Throughout the weeklong finals, the European nation has won all of their ties without dropping a match. They beat Great Britain in the quarter-finals and Spain in the semi-finals before defeating Ukraine.
“It means so much. I’m lost for words. I’ve said several times that this was my dream and it’s incredible. I started playing tennis in front of the TV, watching this tournament, so it’s unbelievable to win it now,” Nosková told Czech TV.
“Elina was a really tough opponent; she’s got her strengths. In the second set, she didn’t give me a single chance. It had to go to a tie-break, and before it started I told myself that I was 2–0 in tie-breaks in this competition, so hopefully I wouldn’t mess it up. And I’m glad I managed it,” she added.
As for Ukraine, this year is the first time they have reached a BJK Cup final since they started playing in the competition in 1993. During the knockout event, they defeated Belgium and two-time defending champions Italy.
“I have a feeling that our team becomes stronger and stronger every year,” Ukraine’s captain Illya Marchenko said during a press conference.
“Last year was a historic achievement for us to make the semifinals. This year it was kind of normal. Now it’s another historic achievement, we played the final.
“Of course, for Ukraine it’s very important. Right now we see a lot of struggles in our home country with attacks, with drones, with rockets and everything. These moments of enjoy are very important for Ukrainian spectators. We are really happy that we could bring some joy into Ukraine this week,” he added in reference to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.
Czech team captain Barbora Strycova has joined an exclusive list of players who have won the team event as both a player and captain.
“It means the world to me. I’m absolutely delighted and so grateful. What I’ve experienced here on court with these players is incredible. We all believed in them so much, and the icing on the cake is that we’ve pulled it off,” former doubles world No.1 Strýcova said of the achievement.
The women’s team competition was launched in 1963 as the Federations Cup before getting rebranded as the Fed Cup in 1995. The competition name was changed again in 2020 to the Billie Jean King Cup.
