After a day of impressive and inspiring performances from Team Ukraine that saw this Billie Jean King Cup Qualifying tie go to a fifth and decisive doubles match inside the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C., Jessica Pegula and Asia Muhammad put the United States through to the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals with a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over Lyudmyla Kichenok and Dayana Yastremska.
The United States joins fellow qualifiers Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, Czech Republic, Belgium and Poland, and Australia, Slovakia, Belgium and Switzerland, all of which received automatic bids, in the 2022 Finals in November, which will be played at a site to be announced.
The tie in Asheville generated more than $225,000 in donations to Ukraine relief, as the global tennis community is set to exceed its goal of raising more than $1 million for the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund via the Tennis Plays for Peace initiative.
Final Results
Friday, April 15
Alison Riske (USA) d. Dayana Yastremska (UKR), 7-6(16), 7-5
Jessica Pegula (USA) d. Katarina Zavatska (UKR), 6-2, 6-1
Saturday, April 16
Dayana Yastremska (UKR) d. Jessica Pegula (USA), 6-3, 6-4 (scorecard)
Katarina Zavatska (UKR) d. Shelby Rogers (USA), 6-3, 6-4 (scorecard) Jessica Pegula / Asia Muhammad
More importantly beyond the tennis, the worldwide tennis community is poised to exceed its goal of raising more than $1 million for Ukraine relief through its Tennis Plays for Peace initiative, thanks in part to more than $225,000 in donations generated surrounding the U.S. and Ukraine Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Qualifying tie in Asheville, N.C., this weekend.
Tennis Plays for Peace, launched in March 2022 by the seven tennis governing bodies — ATP, WTA, ITF and Grand Slams Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and US Open — supports the humanitarian relief efforts for the war in Ukraine with money going to Global Giving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.
The list of Billie Jean King Cup sponsors, as well as the partners and friends of American tennis, who used this weekend as a platform to donate include:
Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss
BNP Paribas
Deloitte
Fiur Productions
Flow Automotive
Harrah’s Cherokee Resorts
Hawk-Eye Innovations
Ingles Markets
New Belgium Brewing Company
Mark Ein
SMT
The USTA and USTA Foundation
Individual American donors also contributed to the fundraising campaign surrounding this Billie Jean King Cup tie. Anyone can still donate via TennisPlaysForPeace.com.
