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Ukraine whitewashed an Iga Swiatek-less Poland 3-0 at the Billie Jean King Cup to hamper the Polish side's chances of advancing to the Finals. A win for Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina-led Ukraine in their upcoming tie against Switzerland will confirm their qualification.
Before the BJK Cup qualifiers began, Iga Swiatek announced via her social media that she had made the "difficult decision" to withdraw from the event.
"I always represent my country with pride. I played everything there was to play for the country last year. I am extremely proud of the historic team successes in the BJKC semifinals and the UC finals. Now it’s time for more balance, focusing on myself and my training. I keep my fingers crossed for the girls and the whole team," Iga Swiatek wrote.
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In Group E of the BJK Cup qualifiers, Poland were tied against Ukraine and Switzerland. The group matches are being played in Radom, Poland, and only the nation that tops the group will qualify for the finals.
In the first tie, Poland pulled off an emphatic win over Switzerland, which lacked their top player, Belinda Bencic. Katarzyna Kawa defeated Switzerland's Jil Teichmann 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. In the second match, Magda Linette got the better of Viktoriya Golubic 6-4, 6-3, and Poland also won the doubles encounter.
However, after their dominant 3-0 win, Poland were humbled by Ukraine. Marta Kostyuk cruised past Katarzyna Kawa with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win in just 1 hour and 6 minutes. In a longer battle lasting 2 hours and 6 minutes, Elina Svitolina edged out Maja Chwalińska 7-6(4), 6-3.
The final match saw the Ukrainian doubles team of Nadiia and Lyudmyla Kichenok winning 7-6(1), 7-6(5) in 1 hour and 46 minutes. Now, Ukraine must win their tie against Switzerland on Saturday, April 12, to confirm their qualification for the Finals.
Iga Swiatek helped Poland reach the Billie Jean King Cup semifinal in 2024
Iga Swiatak has been instrumental in team events for Poland in the past few years. She has helped them earn wins at the United Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup.
Last year, in April, she helped Poland defeat Switzerland in the playoffs to qualify for the Finals. In November, amid a tumultuous period in her life and career due to her failed doping tests, Swiatek prioritized her nation and helped them defeat Spain and the Czech Republic to reach the semifinals.
She defeated Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the semifinal but did not receive enough help from her team as they lost 1-2. Italy went on to win the title by defeating Slovakia 2-0.
