The Dutch female tennis players will compete against Slovenia and India in the play-offs of the Billie Jean King Cup, the draw determined on Thursday. The matches will be played in the Indian city of Bangalore.
Captain Elise Tamaëla’s team must finish first in the group on the hardcourt of the metropolis to secure a place in the Billie Jean King Cup 2026 qualifying tournament. The Netherlands is seeded seventh in the play-offs.
This year, the Netherlands failed to reach a place in the final round. The team lost to Great Britain in The Hague.
The group matches of the Netherlands, India, and Slovenia will be played from November 14 to 16 in Bangalore.
On paper, the Netherlands is the favorite. The best Slovenian player is Veronika Erjavec at the 172nd position, and for India, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (WTA-322) has the highest ranking in singles. The Netherlands has two players in the top 100 with Suzan Lamens (WTA-70) and Arantxa Rus (WTA-91).
‘It’s a good draw in itself’
Tamaëla is satisfied with the draw. “It’s a good draw. India does have a home advantage, but we are the better team. We won well against Slovenia last November, so I certainly see opportunities,” says Tamaëla in a press release from the KNLTB.
We will prepare well and fight for the win with the team. We will do everything we can to maintain our place in the World Group,” said Tamaëla in a press release from the tennis association.
In 2016, the Netherlands reached the semi-finals of the Fed Cup, as the country tournament was then called. Kiki Bertens was the leading player at the time. Currently, Bertens is Tamaëla’s assistant. The Netherlands has never won the tournament. The best performance is a final place in 1997.
