Emma Raducanu will shine at Billie Jean King Cup finals in China, says tennis legend

Billie Jean King expects Emma Raducanu to be a star of next month’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in China.

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The British No 1 saw her US Open hopes ended in the third round with a crushing 6-1, 6-2 defeat by Elena Rybakina to end a promising summer campaign.

Raducanu’s next appearance is expected to be when she leads her country in Shenzhen, with Britain facing Japan in the quarter-finals on September 18, and hoping to at least match last year’s run to the last four.

Raducanu is on a five-match winning run in the Billie Jean King Cup, having gone unbeaten in 2024, and her teammates stepped up when she opted to miss the qualifiers in April, with victories over Germany and the Netherlands booking Britain’s spot at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre Arena.

The 22-year-old has spoken often of her fondness for China – from which her mother hails – and her knowledge of the culture and language is likely to be a help for her team.

Billie Jean King (centre) watching the US Open at the Billie Jean King Tennis Centre last week. Photo: Getty Images

King, after whom the competition was renamed from Fed Cup in 2020, said: “I think it’s huge that you can speak the language of wherever you are.

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