Rising stars to make U.S. Billie Jean King Cup debut at April qualifiers in Slovakia
The United States Billie Jean King Cup team will begin its 2025 campaign with a squad led by BJK Cup veterans Asia Muhammad and Desirae Krawczyk. Captain Lindsay Davenport also named newcomers Alycia Parks, Bernarda Pera and Hailey Baptiste to the American team to compete in qualifying against Denmark and hosts Slovakia from April 11-13 in Bratislava.
Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins and McCartney Kessler, who were originally named to the team, have withdrawn.
"It’s a super-exciting opportunity for our rookies on the team—Alycia, Bernarda and Hailey," Davenport said in Thursday press conference. "In this role [as captain], you’ve got to be able to adjust and make changes when you need to. I was so fortunate that these three ladies were so excited the second that I was able to speak to them and to come over here at a moment’s notice and represent their country.
"They’re very excited and have a wonderful attitude and vibe on the team, because it is the biggest honor, to be able to represent your country. So we’re looking forward to seeing all three of these ladies in action."
The second-year captain also singled out Muhammad and Krawczyk ahead of this weekend's action: "We’ve got two veterans at the end, there, Asia and Des. They’ve kind of been the stalwarts on the team, and they have the experience. It’s a wonderful mix of personalities and also with the experience of being in these situations."
Alycia Parks, Bernarda Pera, Hailey Baptiste, Asia Muhammad and Desirae Krawczyk will represent the U.S. in the qualifying round.
The qualifying stage for the 'World Cup of Tennis' features 18 nations competing in six round-robin groups around the world, with the winner of each group advancing to the Finals to compete for the championship. The Finals will be an eight-nation bracket competition played the second week of November in Shenzhen, China, with defending champions Italy and hosts China already confirmed as participants.
The all-time leader in Billie Jean King Cup titles with 18, the U.S. team is seeking its first trophy in the competition since 2017. More recently, the U.S. has won United Cup titles in 2023 and 2025.
After being knocked out of the 2024 BJK Cup Finals by Slovakia in the first round, the U.S. has a chance to avenge that defeat against the host nation on April 13—one day after their opener against Denmark. The USA is 2-0 all-time vs. Denmark (1990 and 1992 second rounds) and 0-2 vs. Slovakia (2021 Finals group stage; 2024 Finals first round).
The three nations will compete in Group C on an indoor hard court inside Peugeot Arena at Slovakia’s National Tennis Center in Bratislava. Each matchup is a best-of-three tie featuring two singles and one doubles match, all best-of-three tiebreak sets. Captains submit their singles and doubles lineups one hour prior to the start of each tie. While the winner of the group advances to the Finals, the second- and third-place finishers must then compete in the Playoff round, also in November and also played in round-robin groups, in order to return to the qualifying pool for 2026.
Meet the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup Team for 2025 Qualifying
Parks, 24, is currently ranked No. 54 in singles. The Atlanta native won her first career WTA singles title and rose to No. 40 in the world in 2023 and last year added two WTA 125-level singles titles. In 2021, she tied Venus Williams' US Open record for fastest serve, clocking at 129 mph.
Pera, 30, is ranked No. 76 in singles. She won her two career WTA singles titles in 2022 and in 2023 reached the Roland Garros Round of 16, after which she rose to her career-high singles ranking of No. 27.
Baptiste, 23, is ranked No. 86 in singles. She made her Top-100 debut last year and was ranked as high as No. 80 after defeating former Wimbledon and French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in Wuhan.
Muhammad, 33, is ranked a career-high No. 10 in doubles. She won three of her 11 career WTA titles in 2024, and helped the USA advance to the 2022 Finals with a decisive qualifying doubles victory (with Pegula) in her only BJK Cup appearance to date.
Krawczyk, 31, is ranked No. 15 in doubles and has been ranked as high as No. 7. A four-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, Krawczyk won her 15th career WTA doubles title this year in Singapore. She was also a member of the U.S. team for 2022 qualifying.
Qualifying Group C schedule
Tennis Channel will carry live coverage in the U.S.
Friday, April 11 (3 p.m. local; 9 a.m. ET)
Slovakia v. Denmark
Saturday, April 12 (3 p.m. local; 9 a.m. ET)
USA v. Denmark
Sunday, April 13 (3 p.m. local; 9 a.m. ET)
USA v. Slovakia
The full qualifying field and schedule can be found via the Billie Jean King Cup website.
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