by Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Rising teenage star Iva Jovic, the No. 5 player in the United States and the No. 18 player in the WTA Tour world singles rankings, leads the selected U.S. team members set to play for the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team against Belgium April 10-11 in Ostend, Belgium.
Joining the U.S. team and captain Lindsay Davenport are U.S. No. 8 Hailey Baptiste, U.S. No. 11 McCartney Kessler and the No. 2-ranked U.S. doubles player Nicole Melichar-Martinez. A team of up to five players can be named and Davenport can make up to three combined substitutions / additions to the U.S. rosters up until the day prior to the competition starting.
Without its top four players – Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys – the U.S. will face a tough task playing away on an indoor red clay court against a Belgian team led by world No. 1 doubles player Elise Mertens, who is also ranked No. 21 in singles. Also representing Belgium are No. 115 Hanne Vandewinkel, No. 140 Sofia Costoulas, No. 153 Greet Minnen and world No. 78 doubles player Magali Lempen
Billie Jean King Cup is the ‘World Cup of Tennis,’ with 148 nations competing across all levels of the competition in 2026. This year’s Qualifying features 14 nations playing in head-to-head ties around the world, with the seven winners joining hosts China in the 2026 Finals. The Finals will be an eight-nation bracket competition played September 22-27 in Shenzhen, China.
The USA v. Belgium Qualifier is a best-of-five match series that will begin with two singles matches on Friday, April 10, starting at 4 p.m. local time, then continue with a doubles match (played first) and two more singles matches on Saturday, April 11, beginning at 2 p.m. local time. The first nation between the USA and Belgium to win three out of those five matches wins the Qualifier and advances to the Finals. Tennis Channel will carry live coverage in the U.S.
The United States leads all nations in Billie Jean King Cup titles, with 18, and last year reached the Finals in Shenzhen – its first Finals appearance since 2018. Baptiste and Kessler were a part of that Finals team, while Baptiste was also a key member of the 2025 Qualifying squad.
Jovic, 18, is currently ranked a career-high No. 18 in singles – the youngest player in the Top 20. She won her first WTA singles title last year and reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January. This will mark her professional Billie Jean King Cup debut, four years after leading the U.S. to the 16-and-under Junior Billie Jean King Cup title in 2022.
Baptiste, 24, is currently ranked No. 43 in singles and was a key performer for the U.S. team in 2025. She won both of her singles matches while making her debut to help the U.S. advance through Qualifying and was a member of the team that reached the Finals last year in Shenzhen.
Kessler, 26, is currently ranked No. 51 in singles, and has won all three of her career WTA singles titles within the last two years. She was also a member of the U.S. team that reached the Finals last year in Shenzhen, which was her debut nomination.
Melichar-Martinez, 32, is ranked No. 18 in doubles and won three of her 18 career WTA doubles titles in 2025. She is a Grand Slam mixed doubles champion (Wimbledon 2018) and two-time Grand Slam women’s doubles finalist (US Open 2020, Wimbledon 2018). This is her third Billie Jean King Cup nomination.
