Australia to host Kazakhs, Colombia in new-look BJK Cup

Australia's tennis women will have to get past Elena Rybakina-fired Kazakhstan and Colombia on one home qualifying weekend if they are to make the finals of the revamped Billie Jean King Cup in China.

Sam Stosur's team look to have a potentially tough path as they must win their three-team group in April at an Australian venue yet to be announced if they are to qualify for the eight-team finals week in Shenzhen.

But it won't be easy, with the 2023 finalists, even given home court advantage, having to face a Kazakh team which features two singles luminaries, world No.7 Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champ, and No.23 Yulia Putintseva.

In contrast, the home team will only have one player ranked in the top-100 with Kim Birrell scheduled to rise to No.95 when the new rankings are announced after the Australian Open.

Birrell and Ajla Tomljanovic both lost their singles as Australia, who've won the title seven times but not since 1974, suffered a 2-0 defeat to Slovakia in the 2024 quarter-final in Malaga last November.

Colombia, headed by world No.59 Camila Osorio and Emiliana Arango (170), also cannot be overlooked.

The three-team qualifying tie, held over three days in the week commencing April 7, will be played on a round-robin basis, the group winner going on to play in the eight-team finals week in China, which will host the climax to the event for the next three years.

There will be five other qualifying groups, with the winners of those also making the finals, joining holders Italy and hosts China, who automatically qualify.

It will be the first time the finals of the event, previously known as the Fed Cup, have been hosted in China, but a date has not yet been set.

The International Tennis Federation trumpeted the move, with China's Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen saying in a statement: "Having the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen is a dream come true for myself and other Chinese tennis players.

"This event reflects the incredible progress of tennis in China and highlights how women's sports continue to thrive here. I can't wait to see how it inspires more young girls to pick up a tennis racket and dream big."