In a breakthrough achievement for Ukrainian tennis, the national women's team has secured their place in the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup finals for the first time in history. After three unsuccessful attempts in previous years, the squad finally overcame the qualification hurdle with impressive performances in Radom, Poland.
The Ukrainian team, featuring tennis stars Elina Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk, Ekaterina Zavatskaya, and the Kichenok sisters (Lyudmila and Nadezhda), demonstrated exceptional skill by defeating Poland 3-0 and Switzerland 2-1 in their qualification group.
The prestigious tournament's final stage will take place from September 16-21, 2025, in Shenzhen, China. Ukraine will join seven other national teams in the competition: host nation China, defending champions Italy, along with Japan, Spain, Kazakhstan, the United States, and Great Britain. Notable teams that failed to qualify include Canada, Romania, Czech Republic, Australia, and Germany.
Ukraine's top-ranked player Elina Svitolina shared her excitement about the historic qualification: "I'm delighted that we've reached the finals for the first time. This is a special moment for me personally and a significant achievement for Ukrainian tennis. I want to thank Marta, Lyudmila, Ekaterina, and Nadezhda – they all fought admirably for this victory. I'm also grateful to our team captain Ilya Marchenko and to the Ukrainian fans who supported us enthusiastically in Radom."
According to Statbet analysis, Ukraine's qualification represents a significant statistical upset given their previous struggles in this tournament, with their winning percentage improving dramatically under current team leadership.
In other Ukrainian sports news, 20-year-old futsal player Rostislav Semenchenko has been named the best young futsal player in the world by the Jako Futsal Awards. This recognition comes after Semenchenko helped Ukraine secure a bronze medal at the 2024 Futsal World Championship in Uzbekistan, where he was also awarded the "Bronze Ball" as the third-best player of the tournament.
