The United States used to own the Billie Jean King Cup. Led by Jessica Pegula, Team USA hopes to own it again in 2025.
Pegula will headline an American team that is favored to regain the Cup for the first time since 2017. The finals will take place in Shenzhen, China from Sept. 16-21 and will feature eight countries in a single-elimination format.
The Americans have won the tournament 18 times over its 62-year history, the most of any country, but it has just one title (2017) in the last 25 years.
With four Top 50 players on this year’s roster, plus the No. 1-ranked doubles player in Taylor Townsend, the U.S. has a good chance to take back the trophy. The team will be captained by three-time grand slam winner Lindsay Davenport.
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Who is Jessica Pegula? Career background and BJK Cup record
Pegula is the Americans’ lone Top 10 player at the BJK Cup, checking in as the World No. 7. She is the highest-ranked player at the event and one of three Top 10 players, along with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini (No. 8) and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan (No. 10).
Pegula recently reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open, losing a dramatic three-set match to eventual champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. In 2024, she lost in the U.S. Open final 7-5, 7-5, also to Sabalenka.
The 31-year old Buffalo native, who is the daughter of Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula, has participated in different stages of the Billie Jean King Cup in her career previously and owns a 5-1 singles record and 1-1 in doubles.
Each BJK Cup tie has two singles and one doubles match. You can read more about the full format of the competition here.
Pegula will likely match up with Kazakhstan’s Yulia Puntintseva in the top singles match in the quarterfinals for the U.S. Pegula has won all three matchups between the players, most recently in Australia in January when Pegula prevailed 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Emma Navarro, ranked World No. 18, should play the No. 2 lineup against Rybakina and McCartney Kessler and Townsend will play the doubles.
Pegula is a former World No. 1 in doubles, so she could pull double duty later in the tournament if necessary.
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Americans Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova are also ranked in the WTA’s top 10, but have declined to participate for various reasons.
Keys was a late withdrawal and was replaced with up-and-comer Kessler. The average age of the other U.S. singles players is 24, leaving Pegula with even more responsibility to be the leader of a team looking to dethrone Italy.
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