Antalya to host Billie Jean King Cup Group I events

Two Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Group I events will be hosted in Antalya, Turkey in April, the ITF has announced.

The Turkish Tennis Federation will host both the Europe/Africa Group I event and the Asia/Oceania Group I event from 11-16 April – the same week as the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers are contested in nine cities around the world. The week will mark the first time that multiple Group I events from different regions have been held in the same location.

Both events will be played on outdoor clay courts at the Megasaray Tennis Academy, which has previously hosted multiple ATP Challenger tournaments, ITF World Tennis Tour events, the Davis Cup tie between Turkey and Israel in 2020 and the 2021 Junior Davis Cup and Junior Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Finals.

The Europe/Africa Group I event will feature 11 teams competing in two round-robin groups (one group of five teams, one group of six teams), with the top two teams in each group and the winner of a play-off between the two group runners-up advancing to the Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs in November.

In Asia/Oceania Group I, six teams will compete in one round-robin group, with the top two teams progressing to the Play-offs.

The third regional Group I event, Americas Group I, will be also played during the week commencing 11 April in Salinas, Ecuador, with eight teams bidding for two spots in November’s Play-offs.

The worst-performing two nations at each Group I event will be relegated their respective regional Group II for the 2023 season.

Teams which reach the Play-offs – which will also feature the losing nations from the 2022 Qualifiers – will know that one more victory will earn them a place in the 2023 Qualifiers, giving them the chance to play for the Billie Jean King Cup title next season.

The ITF has also confirmed the venue for the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Europe/Africa Group II event, with eight teams set to travel Vierumaki, Finland to compete for two promotion places.

Venues for the remaining Billie Jean King Cup regional group events in 2022 will be announced in due course.