(Reuters) -This year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals have been brought forward to September to align the premier women’s team competition with the start of the WTA Tour’s Asian swing, the International Tennis Federation said on Thursday.
The ITF had announced in January that the Finals would be held in Shenzhen, China until 2027, and the sport’s global body said this year’s edition will be held from September 16 to 21 following a reschedule from its November slot.
WTA tournaments will take place in Asia in Seoul, Beijing, Hong Kong, Wuhan, Osaka, Ningbo, Guangzhou, Tokyo and Jiujiang between September and October and the ITF’s move is aimed at helping players navigate the calendar better.
The qualifying round for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals are under way at Tokyo, Brisbane, Bratislava, Ostrava, Radom and The Hague.
Teams have been split into six round-robin groups of three and the winners will join China and 2024 champions Italy at the Finals in Shenzhen.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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