Boulter to lead Great Britain at Billie Jean King Cup finals

Katie Boulter led the British team at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China. Emma Raducanu, who struggled with injury and illness throughout the year, was not named in the squad. British number two Boulter replaced Katie Swan in a team that remained unchanged from their qualifying win against Australia, joining Harriet Dart, Mika Stojsavljevic, and Jodie Burrage. Britain began their campaign against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, 22 September.

In April, the 17-year-old Stojsavljevic starred with a singles win over world number 56 Talia Gibson, leading Britain to upset the home side in Melbourne and qualify for their fourth finals in five years. Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong expressed her confidence in the team, stating, "I’m pleased to select Katie Boulter, who knows what it’s like to step up on occasions like this, and the three women who played with so much heart and courage to upset Australia earlier this year."

Czechia presented a challenging first match for the British team, featuring Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova and runner-up Karolina Muchova. World number two Elena Rybakina led Kazakhstan against Spain, while Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen led hosts China in their challenge against defending champions Italy, who featured Olympic doubles gold pair Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani.

Ukraine and Belgium completed the last-eight line-up, with all ties at the finals determined in a best-of-three format consisting of two singles and one doubles match.