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Coco Gauff to lead U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team in Delray Beach in April

Victoria Chiesa | February 03, 2023


She's coming home. Coco Gauff will lead the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team against Austria in April in the first round of the 2023 competition. The tie will be played in Gauff's hometown, Delray Beach, Fla., at the Delray Beach Tennis Center from April 14-15.

Gauff is set to play for U.S. captain Kathy Rinaldi for her third overall tie, in her third nomination. She made her Billie Jean King Cup debut last fall in the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals in Glasgow, Scotland, against Poland and the Czech Republic, but this is set to be her first official action on U.S. soil. She was nominated for the qualifying round against Latvia in 2020, played in Everett, Wash., but did not play. 

 

Gauff will be joined by either three or four other compatriots, and the final team nominations will be made no later than March 13. 

 

The Qualifier is a best-of-five match series that begins Friday, April 14, with two singles matches. Two reverse singles matches and a doubles match will follow on Saturday, April 15, with an amended Saturday schedule possible if one nation clinches victory in the third or fourth singles match.

Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/ITF.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, Feb. 7, via Ticketmaster, and are available for as low as $25 per day. Single- and two-day ticket packages are available. USTA members can purchase tickets in advance through an exclusive presale running through Monday, or while supplies last.

 

Click here to purchase Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier tickets on Ticketmaster

 

“The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is thrilled to host the Billie Jean King Cup in The Palm Beaches,” said George Linley, Executive Director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. “This is a premier international team tennis event that will be exciting for sports fans around the world as well as our local hospitality and business community which will benefit greatly from the economic impact brought by an influx of visitors.”

 

The U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team is no stranger to Palm Beach County, having played at the Delray Beach Tennis Center three times when the competition was known as Fed Cup in 2005, 2007 and 2013. The U.S. went 3-0 in those competitions.

 

The Americans last played in Florida in 2017, defeating the Czech Republic in Tampa en route to winning the title that year.

 

With tennis participation up in the U.S. in each of the last three years, the tie figures to be a boon to the local economy as well. Last year’s qualifying event, held in Asheville, N.C., generated an anticipated $8 million for the local economy.

 

“We are excited to welcome the Billie Jean King Cup to Delray Beach,” said Laura Bowen, Executive Director of USTA Florida. “From Chris Evert to Serena Williams, Florida tennis courts have served as the proving ground for many great champions of the women’s game. We can’t wait to cheer on Florida’s own captain Kathy Rinaldi, the incredible Coco Gauff and the entire U.S. team, as they show the world the power of women’s tennis to inspire, engage and win over a new generation of players and fans.”

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