Ukraine’s inspiring run at the Billie Jean King Cup continues. The nation booked its first-ever trip to the semifinals on Wednesday in Shenzhen, China, defeating Spain behind a stirring performance from Elina Svitolina.
The 31-year-old sealed the historic 2-0 victory with a gritty 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 triumph over Paula Badosa, clinching after two hours and nine minutes of hard-fought tennis.
Badosa, competing in her first match since Wimbledon due to a chronic back injury, pushed Svitolina to the brink and fought valiantly. The Spaniard rallied from 4-1 down in the decider and even held a break point to serve for the match with Svitolina serving at 5-5, 30-40, before the Ukrainian steadied and surged across the finish line.
“It gives me motivation to continue on all this faith that I have the level to be there again,” said Badosa, the former World No.2, who showed promising signs despite the loss.
For Svitolina, the win was about more than just personal triumph. The veteran, who has long championed youth development in Ukraine, reflected on the moment’s significance for her war-torn nation.
“I think for all the girls in the team, it’s important to inspire the next generation,” she told the BJK Cup website. “Because of the war, the invasion, I think our sport has been thrown back by many years. It’s important to have these moments, moments of joy, just quick moments.”
Earlier in the tie, Marta Kostyuk set the table with a confident 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. The 22-year-old overcame nerves in a tight first set before racing away with the win.
“My record of tiebreaks is not the best this year, I really didn’t want to play tiebreak,” Kostyuk said. “I feel like I was just trying to be there for every point. I think she just overdid a little bit. I was just patient.”
The victory also extends Captain Ilya Marchenko’s perfect record at the helm. Since taking over in November of 2024, the former ATP pro has led Ukraine to wins in all four of his ties.
Next up: a semifinal clash with reigning champion Italy, who defeated China in their quarterfinal on Tuesday.
On the other side of the draw, Kazakhstan will face Team USA, while Japan takes on Great Britain to determine the remaining semifinalists in Shenzhen.
