2023 BJK Cup Finals: Spotlight on Switzerland

Current ranking: 1 
First appearance in BJK Cup: 1963
Years played: 57
BJK Cup record: 151 ties played (86 wins, 65 losses)
Most ties played: Patty Schnyder (38)
Best result: Winners 2022

 

Switzerland finished as runners-up in the 1998 competition, as they lost 3-2 on home soil against Spain and they also missed out in the 2022 Final that was staged in Prague.

 

Their first title arrived last year in Glasgow, as they finished top of Group A in the Finals after wins against Italy and Canada, before winning a semi-final against Czechia and completing a 2-0 win against Australia in the final, with Jil Teichmann and Belinda Bencic winning their singles matches to seal victory.

 

 

 

A respected coach who worked with Steffi Graf and Ana Ivanovic during their Grand Slam-winning careers, he has been Switzerland's Billie Jean King Cup captain since March 2012.

 

"We have been working for this a long time," said Gunthardt after guiding Switzerland to Billie Jean King Cup glory last year. 

 

"We used to call it the Fed Express, trying to get to the end station. You always stopped at the semi-final location or before unfortunately, or last year in the finals.

 

"That one more was very difficult to come by, and when things are really difficult and you finally conquer it, it's super sweet."

 

 

Belinda Bencic spoke with passion about representing her country after her impressive performances in last year's Billie Jean King Cup reached a crescendo as she played a pivotal role in their success in the finals in Glasgow.

 

"I feel like I'm not playing for myself out there," she said. "I'm fighting for all the team and for all Switzerland, for our country. This was like a childhood dream coming true. Hearing the national anthem and watching the Swiss flag, it's really something big for me.

 

"I just feel like it brings out the best, brings out those extra percentages which maybe I cannot bring in the other tournaments. This was a huge goal of ours, especially after last year. The line between the heartbreak and the victory, it's so small, and the difference is so huge in emotion."

 

 

Switzerland will face Czechia and USA in Group A of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals in Seville, with their ties to be played on November 7 and 9.

 

The Swiss have won three of their ten ties against Czechia in this competition, with their most recent win coming in last year's semi-finals in Glasgow, as they secured a 2-0 victory thanks to singles wins from Viktorija Golubic and Belinda Bencic.

 

In their second tie against the USA, they will be attempting to end a long losing run that dates back to 1968.

 

Switzerland have played nine times against the USA and lost each time, with their most recent encounter coming in the 2019 World Group Play-Offs, when Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin won their singles to guide their nation to a 3-2 win on home soil in San Antonio.

 

 

Switzerland have won eight of their last nine ties in the Billie Jean King Cup, with their only loss coming in the 2021 Final in Prague.

 

They have an impressive record of winning 19 matches in those eight wins, with defeats in just three ties amid an impressively consistent run of form over the last two years.  

 

As they qualified automatically for this year's Finals in Seville, their Group Stage ties will be Switzerland's first outing since winning the trophy in Glasgow last November.