'In it to win it': Kazakhstan primed to continue global rise
06/11/2023 11:02
The Kazakhs, under the stewardship of captain Yarsoslava Shvedova, have high hopes of making their presence felt at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbirgde FInals in Seville
By Matt Roberts
“We’ve come here to win” is a sentiment shared by all the teams at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, but when Kazakh captain Yarsoslava Shvedova said it to reporters on Sunday, you knew she really meant it.
Shvedova became captain in 2021, making her the most recently appointed of the 12 captains in Seville, and her nation have been a growing force ever since then, with Shvedova at the heart of their rise.
“My best memory was my last match for the team [in 2021] when we played the play-offs against Argentina,” she reflected. “I was already player-captain and I decided to put myself in for the deciding doubles and we won that match. I think it was the greatest moment for me being in the team and it was my last moment as a player.
“It’s unbelievable, because for so many years we were trying to qualify from the Asian zone, we had so many play-offs and it did not go our way. Now for the second year in a row we’re beating good teams and advancing to the finals. Hopefully each year we will make bigger and bigger history with our results. I trust our team.”
There’s good reason for Shvedova to feel so confident. 2021 marked an important moment for this new era of Kazakhstan’s Billie Jean King Cup team as it also brought about the debut of Elena Rybakina.
Her progress since then has been enormous, headlined by her Wimbledon title in 2022, but backed up this year by a run to the final at the Australian Open, victories in Indian Wells and Rome, and a career-high ranking of world No. 3.
She has brought that form to Billie Jean King Cup too, winning five of the seven singles matches she has contested in the competition, including the decisive match against Poland's Magda Linette in April to send Kazakhstan through to a second successive Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Not only does Rybakina bring pedigree and firepower to this squad, her presence also frees up Yulia Putintseva to play as the No. 2 singles player.
Putintseva, 28, has been the backbone of this side since her debut in 2014, and she holds the record for most Billie Jean King Cup singles matches won by a Kazakh player. Her recent form has been good too, with a run to the semi-finals in Guangzhou helping to bring her ranking back inside the Top 70.
The one snag for Kazakhstan is that Rybakina is having to make the near-5000 mile journey from Cancun where she has been playing the WTA Finals, so the team will make a decision nearer the time on whether she is ready to face Australia in their first match on Thursday. That’s followed by a second group-stage match against Slovenia on Friday.
Putintseva says she is ready to adapt and do whatever it takes for the team, even if that means stepping into Rybakina’s shoes and playing as the No. 1, a position which was once her own.
Doubles specialist Anna Danilina will be on hand to back up Rybakina and Putintseva and the team will no doubt be well supported by their travelling band of fans. While lots of fans make noise in this event, the Kazakh fans “make music”, as Putintseva puts it.
“They are like artists, they are doing a great job. It’s nice to feel like we have home support,” she said.
By qualifying for the Finals in Glasgow last year, Kazakhstan broke new ground. They have already backed up that success by reaching this stage again and now they are keen to do even better. While they may be one of only four nations in Seville who have never won this prestigious event, there is a sense that their time is coming.
