Major Champions Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin Lead U.S. Charge in Seville, Spain
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2, 2023 – Tennis Channel, T2 and Tennis Channel Plus will show the year-capping Billie Jean King Cup Finals November 7-12, live from Seville, Spain. During the event, the United States will try to capture its record-extending 19th tournament championship with a team led by 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin. Live coverage begins at 5 a.m. ET Tuesday, Nov. 7, on Tennis Channel.
After competition throughout the year, twelve countries qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, which will determine the best nation in women’s tennis in 2023. The event follows a round-robin format, with four groups of three countries each, guaranteeing two head-to-head matchups for every participant. Group winners advance to the semifinals, with a spot in the championship up for grabs. Tuesday, November 7, through Saturday, November 11, there are two sessions per day, at 5 a.m. ET and 11 a.m. ET respectively., covering the round-robin and semifinal rounds. The final takes place Sunday, Nov. 12, at 10 a.m. ET.
Head-to-head matchups consist of two singles matches and one doubles, with the winner of two advancing.
The United States will play Switzerland first, on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 11 a.m. ET. It will compete against the Czech Republic Friday, Nov. 10, also at 11 a.m. ET. For a complete schedule please visit https://www.billiejeankingcup.com/en/format.
Tennis Channel plans to show 25 live hours of Billie Jean King Cup coverage this year, and another 20 hours of encore replays. Its second channel, T2, will cover the event live November 7-10, from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. ET daily. In addition to live play, subscription service Tennis Channel Plus will make all Billie Jean King Cup finals matchups available on-demand at their conclusion.
Former player Chanda Rubin (@Chanda_Rubin) played for the United States Billie Jean King Cup team five times, going 7-3 in singles and 1-0 in doubles. She contributed to the team in 1999 that won the championship and will handle play by play during Tennis Channel’s coverage. Analysts Nico Pereira (@nicolaspereira) and Jan-Michael Gambill (@JanmikeGambill) are also former tour professionals, with announcer Ari Wolfe @ariwolfe) rounding out the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on-air team.
Stephens (eight different years) and Kenin (three) have each played for the U.S. national team before. Stephens was a member of the most recent American champion, in 2017. They are joined by Danielle Collins, who has played for the team three separate years, and Taylor Townsend, who has been on the team twice before. Peyton Stearns is a newcomer to the event. In 2022 she won the NCAA singles and team titles for the University of Texas.
Other qualifying countries for this year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals are Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland.
