Italy's tennis team celebrates on the podium after winning the Billie Jean King Cup final against Slovakia at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Manu Fernandez
Italy's tennis team celebrates on the podium after winning the Billie Jean King Cup final against Slovakia at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Manu Fernandez
MONTREAL - Canada will face Romania and Japan in its qualifying group for the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup international women's tennis tournament.
The qualifying draw was held Thursday in London. Top-ranked Canada and its opponents were drawn into Group A, with Japan as host.
Qualifying will begin on April 7. The winners of the six three-country groups will compete in the final against host nation China and 2024 champion Italy.
Canada lost to Britain in last year's quarterfinals after winning the event for the first time in 2023.
Romania is 3-0 against Canada in international women's tennis. Its most recent win came in a World Group II playoff in 2018 when the event was known as the Federation Cup.
Canada is 1-3 against Japan, though the sides haven't faced each other since the event switched to a world group format from a regional qualifying format in 1995.
Qualifying groups are being used this year as the tournament switches from a 12-team to an eight-team final. Traditional home-or-away ties will return in the qualifiers and playoffs in 2026.
Tennis Canada says the qualifying roster and complete schedule will be confirmed at a later date.
This report by ºÃÉ«tvwas first published Jan. 23, 2025.
