Billie Jean King Cup 2023: Boulter, Burrage, Dart & Watson join Lexus Billie Jean King Cup Team for Play-Off tie against Sweden
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Lexus Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup Team captain, Anne Keothavong, has announced her squad for Great Britain’s Play-Off tie against Sweden at the Copper Box Arena from 11-12 November.
The Lexus Billie Jean King Cup Team is currently made up of four players including British No.1 Katie Boulter, British No.2 Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart and Heather Watson.
On Monday 6 November, doubles British No.1 Maia Lumsden was called up to represent the Brits for the first time.
Lexus GB Billie Jean King Cup team
- Katie Boulter (world No.58)
- Jodie Burrage (world No.93)
- Harriet Dart (world No. 138)
- Heather Watson (world No.169)
- Maia Lumsden (world No.80 - doubles)
“I’m delighted that all of our strongest ranked players have made themselves available for the Billie Jean King Cup tie versus Sweden next month” said Keothavong.
“We are very excited to have yet another opportunity to play in front of a home crowd, especially at the Copper Box Arena where the fans were so instrumental in helping get us over the line when we last played there a few years ago.
“Finally, being able to captain this team is always a huge privilege and to bring live tennis back to where I grew up, means a great deal to me on a personal level.”
Having lost out in their qualifying tie against France back in April, Great Britain will now take on Sweden in the Play-Off tie, with the two-nations competing for a place in the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers.
The Play-Off tie will be hosted at London’s Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Tickets start from as little as £5 for children and £10 for adults.
Here’s some more information on the Lexus GB Billie Jean King Cup team:
Katie Boulter
- Age: 27
- Ranking: 58
- Billie Jean King Cup ties played: 10
- Billie Jean King Cup record: 9-3
Heading up the Lexus Billie Jean King Cup team as the British No.1, Boulter is set to face off against Sweden having reached the highest ranking in her career in September at world No.50. The 27-year-old has enjoyed one of the best seasons of her career so far in 2023 having won her first WTA title at the Rothesay Open Nottingham and making career-best third round runs at both Wimbledon and the US Open. So far this year, Boulter has won an impressive 38 matches. Back in April, Boulter represented the Brits against France in Coventry, where she narrowly lost an epic against the then world No.5 Caroline Garcia 6-7, 7-6(4), 7-6(2).
Jodie Burrage
- Age: 24
- Ranking: Singles - 93; Doubles - 149
- Billie Jean King Cup ties played: 0
- Billie Jean King Cup record: N/A
British No.2 Burrage could be set to become the latest LTA Colour Holder should she make her debut for the Lexus GB Billie Jean King Cup team at the Copper Box. Like Boulter, the 24-year-old comes in during her most successful year to date, where she’s broken into the top 100 for the first time, made her first WTA final in Nottingham and won the biggest title of her career at the W60 Croissy-Beauborg. Burrage has risen to the occasion in the biggest matches this season – winning 11 matches against players in the top 100, helping her climb to a career-high world No.85.
Harriet Dart
- Age: 27
- Ranking: Singles - 138; Doubles - 156
- Billie Jean King Cup ties played: 8
- Billie Jean King Cup record: 3-6
Dart has become a frequent addition to the Lexus Billie Jean King Cup squad in recent years and is set to make her ninth appearance for Great Britain in November. The 27-year-old enjoyed a strong summer on home soil where she lifted the W25 Nottingham title at the beginning of May, after defeating Australia’s Taylah Preston 6-0, 6-2, before defeating then world No.22 Anhelina Kalinina twice to reach back-to-back WTA quarter-finals at the Rothesay Open and Rothesay Classic Birmingham. The British No.3 has also gained success in the doubles this year, where she picked up the W40 Murska Sobota title alongside Andreea Mitu and finished Rothesay Open women’s doubles runners-up beside Watson.
Heather Watson
- Age: 31
- Ranking: Singles - 169; Doubles - 88
- Billie Jean King Cup ties played: 35
- Billie Jean King Cup record: 23-12
Set to bring a wealth of experience to the Play-Off tie, Watson owns the weapons to do damage in both singles and doubles, with the British No.4 picking up her fifth WTA doubles of her career at the BNP Paribas Warsaw Open in July where she joined forces with Yanina Wickmayer. Boasting an impressive win record in Billie Jean King Cup ties, Watson will be a vital asset to have in the upcoming tie against Sweden.
Read more about Heather Watson
Maia Lumsden
- Age: 25
- Ranking: Doubles - 74
- Billie Jean King Cup ties played: 0
- Billie Jean King Cup record: N/A
Completing the team is one of the stand-out doubles stars of the year, Lumsden who has been called up to represent her country for the first time. Lumsden comes into the team in fiery form, having picked up back-to-back doubles titles at the WTA Rouen Challenger and W60 Glasgow event. Following a string of impressive results, the 25-year-old has now been hailed the new British No.1 doubles player and has achieved a career-high ranking of world No.78.
