Tennis – Billie Jean King Cup: Germany vs. Great Britain – Sports

Berlin (dpa) – German tennis players are competing for a place in the quarterfinals in the final round of the Billie Jean King Cup next November against Great Britain. This was the result of the draw in London.

If captain Rainer Schüttler’s side beats the Brits in Seville, Spain, defending champions Canada will be their next opponent in the quarter-finals. The German team, led by Angelique Kerber, qualified for the final round of the prestigious national competition thanks to its 3-1 victory over host Brazil in Sao Paulo in mid-April.

This year’s final round will be held differently and at a different time. This time, it will be held from November 12 to 20, that is, a week later than previous years. It is scheduled immediately before and with minimal overlap with the men’s Davis Cup tennis finals in Malaga (November 19-24).

The organizers also made changes to the format. Instead of a group stage, there will be a knockout competition with eight teams from the start. The winners of the four duels advance to the quarterfinals, where they face the four seeded teams Canada, Italy, Czech Republic and Australia, who receive a bye to the first round. The International Tennis Federation said last week that adjustments were also made based on feedback from players, fans and the media.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240430-99-864417/2