The Australian team needs to defeat Kazakhstan today to keep their 2023 Billie Jean King Cup hopes alive.
Seville, Spain, 9 November 2023 | Leigh Rogers
The Australian team is ready for a must-win battle with Kazakhstan at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Spain.
“It’s a do-or-die one, isn’t it? It’s all or nothing,” Australian captain Alicia Molik said ahead of their clash in Seville.
The Aussie team is looking to bounce back strongly after losing their opening round-robin tie against Slovenia on Tuesday.
A victory will keep their slim hopes alive of advancing to the semifinals, while a loss will signal the end of their 2023 campaign.
The good news is that Australia will have a full team to select from, following the late arrivals of doubles stars Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez from the WTA Finals in Mexico.
“We are at complete full strength,” Molik said. “Now it’s just working out our best chances against what we think will be their best team.”
| Australian team | ||
| Player | Singles ranking | Doubles ranking |
| Kimberly Birrell | No.113 | No.233 |
| Storm Hunter | No.172 | No.1 |
| Daria Saville | No.206 | No.168 |
| Ellen Perez | No.500 | No.17 |
| Ajla Tomljanovic | No.549 | – |
| Captain: Alicia Molik | ||
Molik is wary of a Kazakhstan line-up led by world No.4 Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina won the Wimbledon 2022 title and was an Australian Open finalist earlier this season.
“(They have) one of the best players in the world in that team,” Molik said. “We have to go all out, have to bring our A game.”
| Kazakhstan team | ||
| Player | Singles ranking | Doubles ranking |
| Elena Rybakina | No.4 | No.119 |
| Yulia Putintseva | No.69 | No.345 |
| Zhibek Kulambayeva | No.515 | No.151 |
| Aruzhan Sagandikova | No.751 | No.865 |
| Anna Danilina | No.814 | No.56 |
| Captain: Yaroslava Shvedova | ||
Molik is hopeful the high pressure will inspire her Australian team to play their best tennis.
“Sometimes it’s good actually when you need to win, because there is no other option. You really are forced into a corner,” she said.
“I think sometimes in tennis when you have less options, it really creates those decisions of urgency and really separates the good players.
“That’s our challenge for Thursday. It is a big challenge for us, but anything is possible.”
Australia’s top-ranked singles player, Kimberly Birrell, agrees the pressure could prove beneficial.
“We really thrive in environments like that. I think us Aussies, we do well as the underdogs,” the…
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