In April, Ukraine lost a heartbreaking “home” tie on neutral ground when Romania rallied from 0-2 down in Amelia Island, Fla. to punch a ticket to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
With the prospect of being relegated to Group I, the Ukrainian squad returned to the U.S. to stage its Play-Off tie. And this time, it was their turn to flip the script in earning another shot at the Qualifiers come 2025.
Playing in McKinney, Texas, about 6,000 miles away from home, and under the guidance of new captain Illya Marchenko, the host nation stormed back from a 1-2 deficit to edge Austria. Without Elina Svitolina or Marta Kostyuk in the lineup, Katarina Zavatska emerged as the unheralded MVP of the 3-2 victory.
Ranked No. 226, Zavatska dispatched Julia Grabher with a 6-2, 7-5 effort to level the scoreboard. The 24-year-old then joined forces with Nadiia Kichenok, edging Sinja Kraus and Tamira Paszek, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. Kraus had earlier trounced Lesia Tsurenko, 6-1, 6-1, to put the Austrians within striking distance.
“It’s amazing. It’s all credit to my team, which gave me so much energy,” Zavatska shared afterwards.
“Our emotions just exploded. It goes out from the body. We cry, we laugh. It’s so exciting that we can go through. This tie was so important.”
Reflected Marchenko, “Katarina had to play three matches. (Saturday) she had three sets and today, she had to play five in a row, which was a bit of a risk. I’m pretty happy she managed and I think she’s a super great fighter.”
While Svitolina is recovering from foot surgery, the former WTA Finals champion made the trip to support her countrywomen. Her foundation, which runs the national team, once again partnered with Tim Stallard (executive director of the Bush Tennis Center in Midland, Texas) to identify an alternative venue to put on the tie due to the Ukraine-Russia war.
After the comeback was completed, Svitolina’s face beamed with pride.
“I am very proud of the girls for the fight, for the spirt that they brought,” said Svitolina. “Winning this tie means a lot to us. It’s been really tough the last couple of weeks, the last two days has been a horrible time for Ukrainian people in general.
“We really wanted to get the win for Ukraine.”
Next year, Ukraine will once again try to earn its place at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The remaining nations advancing out of the Play-Offs to the 2025 Qualifiers are Switzerland, China, Kazakhstan, Colombia, the Netherlands, Brazil and Denmark.
