Tennis Australia Press Release, February 19, 2025

Australia’s top ranked woman Kimberly Birrell will lead the Culture Amp Australian Billie Jean King Cup team when they begin their 2025 campaign in Brisbane in April.

Pat Rafter Arena will host the upcoming qualifying round for the second consecutive year from 10 to 12 April 2025.

This year, six groups of three teams will play a round-robin across three days with six group winners progressing to the Billie Jean King Cup finals in Shenzen, China.

Australia will host Kazakhstan and Colombia with each tie set to feature two singles and one doubles match.

Twenty-six-year-old Birrell is excited to be leading the Australian team in her home state of Queensland.

Birrell became the No.1 Australian woman in January and hit a career-high ranking of 75 last week.

“It is incredible to wear the green and gold. It’s what I dreamt of doing as a kid, watching and wanting to be a professional tennis player,” Birrell said.

“In Australia, we have such a rich history of the BJK Cup and Davis Cup, so to be a part of that now, and to play here at home, in Australia, is incredibly special.

“I feel so at home here on this court (in Brisbane), I’ve had so many special memories, watching and playing in the Brisbane International and training here a lot of the year. To get to play a home tie so close to where I grew up is absolutely amazing. We can’t wait to play in front of a home crowd, especially because my friends and family will be able to come and watch.”

In October, Birrell reached her first WTA final in Osaka before defeating world No.8 Emma Navarro on the way to the Brisbane International quarterfinals at the start of the year.

At the Australian Open, Birrell and John-Patrick Smith made the finals of the mixed doubles, she then reached the quarterfinals in Singapore and won an ITF World Tennis Tour W75 tournament two weeks ago.

Captain Sam Stosur is delighted to be able to confirm the first player for the qualifier.

“Kim is currently the No.1 ranked player in Australia on the women’s side and at her highest career ranking which is fantastic,” Stosur said.

“She has played tonnes of tennis in recent months, she is feeling really confident and I think in her best form ever, so we are really excited to have her back in the team once again. I know she is pumped.”

Stosur said playing at Pat Rafter Arena is a familiar feeling.

“Everyone loves playing in Brisbane. It’s a world-class venue and we’ve had some great success there over the years. The weather is always good, it will be school holidays and we know Queenslanders love coming to the tennis, they really get behind the team and that’s what it’s all about.”

The remaining members of the team will be confirmed in mid-March.

Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifiers

Australia – Hard, Outdoors (Pat Rafter Arena, Brisbane)

• Thursday 10 April 12.00pm AEST – Australia vs Kazakhstan

• Friday 11 April 12.00pm AEST – Colombia vs Kazakhstan

• Saturday 12 April 12.00pm AEST – Australia vs Colombia

Tickets on sale today

• Tickets to the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier featuring Australia, Kazakhstan and Colombia go on sale today via Ticketmaster

• Early bird tickets are available from 11.00am AEST before the general public on-sale at 3.00pm AEST

• Kids go free across the three days of tennis

• Adult tickets from $20

• Two-day ticket packages for the Australian sessions from $30

Fast facts

• The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifiers will take place week commencing 7 April

• In 2025, six groups of three teams will contest the qualifying round on a round-robin basis

• Australia, Czechia, Japan, Netherlands, Poland and Slovakia will host qualifiers in April. Host nations were drawn at random from applications made by eligible nations

• Group D will see Australia host Kazakhstan and Colombia at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane

• Three ties will be played across three days. Each tie will consist of two singles matches and a doubles match

• Six group winners in April will advance to the finals in Shenzen, China. The finals will transition from a 12-team event to an eight-team event in 2025

• Hosts China and 2024 champions Italy will round out the top eight in the finals

• Brisbane last hosted a Billie Jean King Cup tie in April 2024 when Australia defeated Mexico 4-0

• Australia is one of four nations to have competed in the Billie Jean King Cup competition every year. Australia sits second on the all-time champions list

• Australia is currently ranked the No.5 nation in Billie Jean King Cup rankings

• Evonne Goolagong, Dianne Fromholtz and Janet Young last led Australia to Fed Cup victory in 1974

• The Australian team has finished runners-up twice in recent years, in 2019 and 2022

• Billie Jean King Cup is the biggest women’s team event in tennis. It is the women’s equivalent of the Davis Cup and was launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation. In 2025, a record 146 nations will compete in the competition.