The Billie Jean King Cup Finals are right around the corner, as the eight best tennis nations in the world prepare to battle it out.
Host nation China will welcome Great Britain, Japan, Kazakhstan, Spain, Ukraine, Italy, and the United States to Shenzhen next week.
12 months ago, Italy won the Billie Jean King Cup title and will return as strong favorites in 2025.
Photo by Giampiero Sposito/Getty Images
They could meet another strong contender, Team USA, in the Billie Jean King Cup final, having been placed in opposite halves of the draw.
Adding another layer of intrigue to a potential clash between the two nations, one teenage WTA star who represented the United States as recently as five months ago has been called up to the Italian team.
Former American star Tyra Grant receives first Italy call-up
17-year-old Tyra Grant was born in Rome, Italy, but represented the United States throughout her junior career.
Winning three junior Grand Slam doubles titles, Grant quickly established herself as one of the top prospects in American tennis.
Tyra Grant’s Junior Grand Slam wins
- 2023 French Open w/ Clervie Ngounoue
- 2024 Australian Open w/ Iva Jovic
- 2024 Wimbledon w/ Iva Jovic
She made further waves at the 2024 US Open, reaching the semifinals of the senior mixed doubles event alongside Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Looking to kickstart her WTA Tour career, Grant switched allegiances in May 2025 to Italy.
Photo by Silvia Lore/Getty Images
In doing so, Grant was granted a wildcard into the main draw of the Italian Open, where she lost in round one to qualifier Antonia Ruzic in three sets.
Now ranked 208th in the world, Grant has been handed her first call-up to the Italian Billie Jean King Cup team, ahead of next week’s finals.
Speaking to the media ahead of the finals, Italian captain Tathiana Garbin explained her decision to pick Grant.
“Tyra [Grant] is a young athlete who has already shown enormous potential and significant signs of growth,” she said.
“We believe it’s crucial to offer such a prestigious opportunity to the new generations, as our primary mission is to ensure continuity in the team’s technical project and build a concrete legacy for the future.”
Grant will look to learn a lot from the experience, playing with the defending Billie Jean King Cup champions.
Italy’s 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals team
- Tathiana Garbin (captain)
- Jasmine Paolini
- Sara Errani
- Elisabetta Cocciaretto
- Lucia Bronzetti
- Tyra Grant
Whether Grant will be selected to play matches at the event remains to be seen, but she will certainly add value to the team.
With Italy expected to return to the final in 2025, Grant could face off against her ‘former’ nation, should Team USA do the same.
Team USA and Team Italy’s routes to the Billie Jean King Cup final
The Italians will begin their tournament with a tie against the home team, China.
Following the injury to Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng, the Chinese team will rely on Wang Xinyu in her absence.
Should Italy make it past the Chinese, they’d advance to play either Spain or Ukraine in the final four.
Paula Badosa and Elina Svitolina are the two star players for their respective teams, but would again be considered underdogs against a formidable Italian side.
Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images
Team USA will play Kazakhstan in their quarterfinal tie, a team led by former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Assuming the Americans win their opener, they’d take on one of Great Britain or Japan in the semifinals.
Team GB looks a much weaker side following Emma Raducanu’s withdrawal, and Japan have just one top 100 singles player in their ranks, Moyuka Uchijima.
It seems likely that the Americans will reach the final, especially when looking at the strong team they have brought to China.
USA’s 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals team
- Lindsay Davenport (captain)
- Jessica Pegula
- Emma Navarro
- McCartney Kessler
- Taylor Townsend
- Hailey Baptiste
The Americans last won the Billie Jean King Cup back in 2017, but will be in with a great chance of picking up a record-extending 19th title in 2025.
Should they reach the final, it will be interesting to see if Grant is given the opportunity to play against the nation she represented for several years.
The 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals will begin on Tuesday, September 16.