Billie Jean King Cup:

Austria faces Ukraine in the play-off

The squad for the Billie Jean King Cup(Bild: GEPA)

Austria's women's tennis team will face Ukraine in the play-off for the qualifying round for the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup finals. This was the result of the draw on Tuesday. The ÖTV team qualified for the play-off by winning Pool A in the Europe-Africa Zone I at the beginning of April, while Ukraine lost to Romania in this year's qualifying tournament. The draw also resulted in an away match for Austria.

While Julia Grabher is the highest-ranked Austrian at 132 in the world rankings, there are five Ukrainians in the top 50, including former world number three Elina Svitolina (currently 18th).

"We are looking forward to this task!"
"In sporting terms, this is of course one of the most difficult hurdles possible and an enormous challenge for our national team. We're looking forward to this task and I'm sure that our captain Marion Maruska and her team will do everything they can to perhaps achieve the big sensation in November," said ÖTV President Martin Ohneberg.

This will be Austria's third clash against Ukraine, winning 3-0 in 1994 and losing 2-1 in 2014. Should the ÖTV women manage a victory on November 15/16 or 16/17, they would play for a place in the BJK final tournament in spring 2025. Last year, they lost to Mexico in the play-off.

The match will take place at a neutral venue due to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Most recently, the Ukrainians played their matches in the USA (Florida), Antalya and Vilnius.