By Tennis Now | @TennisNow | Thursday, March 13, 2025
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Seasoned champions are set to lead Team USA in next month’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier.
Jessica Pegula, a US Open finalist, alongside Danielle Collins, the victor of both the Miami and Charleston tournaments, headline the United States team chosen by captain Lindsay Davenport.
Joining Pegula and Collins are McCartney Kessler, Asia Muhammad, and Desirae Krawczyk. Together, they will represent the USA against Denmark and hosts Slovakia in Group C of the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifying. The event is scheduled for April 11-13 in Bratislava.
The Qualifying stage involves 18 nations battling across six round-robin groups globally from April 10-13. Each group winner earns a spot in the Finals to vie for the championship.
The Finals will feature an eight-nation bracket in Shenzhen, China, during the second week of November. Defending champions Italy and host nation China are already secured for this stage.
Set to play in Group C, the USA has their matches against Denmark and Slovakia taking place on an indoor hard court at Peugeot Arena, positioned within Slovakia’s National Tennis Center in Bratislava.
Each encounter consists of a best-of-three series with two singles matches and one doubles match, leveraging best-of-three tiebreak sets.
Team captains reveal their singles and doubles matchups one hour before each tie begins. While the group winners progress to the Finals, teams finishing second and third must enter a Playoff round, also taking place in November, to rejoin the Qualifying pool for 2026.
In the U.S., viewers can catch live coverage on the Tennis Channel.
Billie Jean King Cup Qualifying Schedule
– Friday, April 11 (3 p.m. local) Slovakia vs. Denmark
– Saturday, April 12 (3 p.m. local) USA vs. Denmark
– Sunday, April 13 (3 p.m. local) USA vs. Slovakia
The United States boasts an impressive record, leading all nations with 18 Billie Jean King Cup titles. Historically, the USA is 2-0 against Denmark, with victories in 1990 and 1992 during the second rounds, but trails 0-2 to Slovakia following losses in the 2021 Finals group stage and the 2024 Finals first round.
Pegula, at 31, stands as the second-ranked American in singles at No. 4. She tallied her seventh career WTA singles title in Austin recently, riding a seven-match winning spree. As a 2024 US Open singles finalist, she has secured Qualifying victories for the USA in the Billie Jean King Cup over the last three years.
Collins, also 31, is currently ranked No. 14 in singles and achieved a peak ranking of No. 8 last year. She was a finalist at the 2022 Australian Open and holds a solid 7-2 singles record in Billie Jean King Cup competitions, with consistent appearances in the Cup Finals over four consecutive years.
Twenty-five-year-old Kessler has climbed to a career-high No. 48 in singles. She clinched her second WTA singles title in Hobart this year and reached her third final in Austin. This year marks her Billie Jean King Cup debut.
Muhammad, 33, enjoys a career-high No. 10 doubles ranking. In 2024, she claimed three of her 11 WTA titles and notably assisted the USA to the 2022 Finals with a critical Qualifying doubles win, partnering with Pegula. This appearance was her first in the BJK Cup.
Krawczyk, also 31, stands at No. 15 in doubles, having reached as high as No. 7. With four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles to her name, she celebrated her 15th WTA doubles win in Singapore this year. She was part of the U.S. team for the 2022 Qualifying.
