Britain qualify for Billie Jean King Cup Finals after Glasgow picked as host

Britain have qualified for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after Glasgow was selected to host the event in November.

The nation was initially set to miss out on the 12-team tournament after losing to the Czech Republic in a qualifying fixture in April.

But the LTA and ITF have now confirmed the Emirates Arena in Glasgow will hold the Finals from November 8th to 13th, with Britain playing as hosts.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to build the profile of women’s tennis and focus attention on women’s sport,” said Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong.

“The entire team are very excited about playing in front of a home crowd and hearing some loud support across the whole week.”

Britain will contest the Finals with Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Spain, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United States. Defending champions Russia will no longer take part after being suspended from international events due to the invasion of Ukraine.

The tournament comprises four round-robin groups of three, with the four group winners then qualifying for the semi-finals.

US Open champion Emma Raducanu will likely star at the tournament. She made her Billie Jean King Cup debut against the Czech Republic earlier this year, winning one match and losing the other.

The 19-year-old was cited as the reason behind the LTA’s bid for the Finals, with the organisation hoping to capitalise on her ongoing popularity.

Glasgow has also been named as one of the four host nations for the group stages of the Davis Cup Finals, the men’s equivalent of the Billie Jean King Cup.

The Scottish city has already hosted several Davis Cup ties, including two in 2015 when Britain went on to win the title.

“We have said