Billie Jean King Cup: The organization has changed and the United States is waiting for the Slovaks | New word

The November tournament will be with the participation of twelve teams in a direct elimination system. In the first round, the eight unseeded teams were matched, and the four winners would face the four seeded national teams in the quarterfinals. Duels consist of three matches, followed by a doubles battle.

The Slovak national team qualified for this event by confidently defeating the Slovenians. The draw was not kind to the Schmiedlová family, as they were given the toughest possible opponent. “The Americans are obviously the toughest opponent to name,” said national team captain Matej Liptak. – The United States is a tennis nation, and it has more than ten of the top 100 players, and even two in the top ten. They also excel at doubles, so we face a very difficult task. However, it is important to note that the last time we beat them was in 2021, and the balance of power was no different then either. Of course, it will be crucial which team they start with, but they will definitely be very strong, because they have a great chance to dive. The coach added: “We have nothing to lose.”

By the way, the new format, which replaced the previous group round, was announced by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) only at the beginning of the week. The Slovakian captain did not leave without saying a word in favor of the new format. “I think it's very strange that such a change has been announced in the middle of a wild season. The new system is unacceptable to me and I'm disappointed with the decision. The group stage was fairer, with everyone able to prove themselves in at least two duels. I'd be surprised if you didn't think Other national teams as well.

The Americans' strength is demonstrated by the fact that their best, Cory “Coco” Gauff, is ranked third in the world, Jessica Pegula is ranked fifth, and they have two other top 20 tennis players in Danielle Collins and Madison Keys. If the Slovaks, distinguished by Anna Karolina Schmidlova (76), pull off the feat, they will face the seeded Australians in the semi-finals.