Team USA will miss out on the chance to play for the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time since the Finals format was changed to a single-site, round-robin system five years ago. With a strong squad for the tie against Belgium, including Iva Jovic, Hailey Baptiste, McCartney Kessler, and Lindsay Davenport as team captain, the team was expected to reach the tournament finals. However, they were handed a brutal reality check in Ostend.
After having a poor start to the contest, Davenport & Co. just couldn’t make their way back into the tie, and eventually Belgium ended up with a 3-1 victory.
The first match of the contest saw Jovic take on World No. 94 Hanne Vandewinkel. Though the American was the favorite to claim victory, she failed to win even a set and suffered a comprehensive 6–7, 3–6 defeat to the underdog. With this victory, Belgium took a valuable lead in the tie.
The second match saw Elise Mertens clash with McCartney Kessler in what was a closely contested encounter. Mertens started well and took the first set 7–6. However, Kessler responded brilliantly in the second set. The world No. 48 leveled the match by claiming the set 6–2, but her and Team USA’s joy was short-lived.
However, the duo of Caty McNally and Nicole Melichar helped in restoring the faith. They took on Belgium’s Elise Mertens and Magali Kempen in what was the first doubles match of the tie and its third overall. The American pair put in a very strong performance and got the team back in contention with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 win.
With Belgium leading 2–1, the responsibility fell on Iva Jovic’s shoulders to level the tie and complete the record 18-time champion’s comeback. The world No. 16 faced Belgium’s Greet Minnen, a player ranked 133 places below her in the WTA rankings.
As the highest-ranked singles player on Team USA, the 18-year-old was once again the favorite to come out on top. However, she ultimately succumbed to the pressure.
Iva Jovic’s second defeat hands Belgium the victory
Jovic made a solid start to the first set and raced to a 2-0 advantage. However, Minnen fought back right away and broke the American’s serve twice in a row to take a 4-2 lead. She held her nerve and went on to win the opening set 7-5 as Belgium got one step closer to victory.
The second set again saw Minnen capitalize on Jovic’s mistakes. The Belgian built up a 5-2 lead as the team stood on the verge of a memorable triumph. Though Jovic broke back to make it 5-3, she ended up losing her serve in the very next play as Minnen triumphed in straight sets and Belgium won the tie 3-1.
This result means that the hosts have qualified for the third final of the Billie Jean King Cup and their first since 2022. They have joined Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Spain, Ukraine, and Czechia as the teams set to advance to the finals that will be played in September later this year.
On the other hand, Team USA suffered a monumental setback just eight months after being defeated by Italy in last year’s final. They will now participate in the playoffs, which will be held in November, alongside the other six nations that suffered defeats in the qualifiers.
Will Team USA be able to find its rhythm again in the playoffs, or will it continue its dismal form and fail to secure a place in the 2027 qualifiers?
