Switzerland rise to No. 1 in latest Billie Jean King Cup Nations Rankings

2022 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge champions Switzerland have risen to No. 1 in the latest Billie Jean King Cup Nations Rankings, which have been published following the Qualifiers this weekend.

Switzerland replace the nation they defeated in the final in Glasgow last year, Australia, at the top of the rankings. The Aussies, who drop No. 2, had held top spot following since November 2021, following two runner-up finishes and one further semi-final appearance in the previous three seasons of the competition.

The rise to the top of the rankings comes as reward for Switzerland’s recent performances in the competition – not only did they win their first Billie Jean King Cup title in 2022, they also reached the final for the second time in their history in 2021, falling to the Russian Tennis Federation team in Prague.

Central to the Swiss success over the last two years of the competition has been current world No. 11 Belinda Bencic, who has won nine of the ten Billie Jean King Cup matches she has contested in 2021-22.

Bencic has been ably supported by Jil Teichmann and Viktorija Golubic, both of whom also won crucial matches during Switzerland’s 2021 and 2022 campaigns.

Elsewhere in the rankings, Slovenia made the most significant move following the Qualifiers – their famous comeback victory against Romania earned them a rise of 16 places from No. 34 to No. 18. The Slovenians recorded just the eighth successful comeback from 0-2 down in Billie Jean King Cup history – and the first since France defeated Italy 3-2 in 2015 – to defeat Romania in a rain-delayed tie that was concluded on Sunday.

Italy’s gritty victory over Slovakia earned them a return to the Top 10 of the rankings, with Tathiana Garbin’s team now sitting at No. 8. Kazakhstan, who recorded a comfortable victory against Poland, rise three places to No. 7, consolidating their position as a Top 10 team.

Lower down the rankings, the biggest movers of the week were Netherlands, who put in a series of impressive performances to win promotion from Europe/Africa Group I alongside Hungary and Sweden. Those three teams – as well as the promoted teams from Americas Group I (Argentina and Colombia) and Asia/Oceania Group I (Japan and Korea, Rep.) – will compete in the Play-offs in November with the nine losing teams from this weekend’s Qualifiers.

The Billie Jean King Cup Nations Ranking were launched at the end of 2002. They are published following every tie weekend and measures success over the preceding four seasons, with recent performances weighted more heavily.

Billie Jean King Cup Nations Rankings – current Top 10

1. Switzerland
2. Australia
3. Spain
4. France
5. Czechia
6. Canada
7. Kazakhstan
8. Italy
9. USA
10. Germany

Click here to view the full Billie Jean King Cup Nations Rankings.