Few stars, Covid-19 scare at Billie Jean King Cup

Tennis stars Barbora Krejcikova (left) and Belinda Bencic

Barbora Krejcikova and Belinda Bencic are the only Top 10 players featuring in the maiden Billie Jean King Cup final tournament due to start amid tight Covid-19 restrictions in Prague on Monday.

The season-ending team tournament will be held on indoor hard courts at the O2 Arena here, with the final scheduled for November 6. As the host city, Prague has replaced Budapest which was due to stage the Fed Cup in April 2020 before it was twice postponed over the Covid-19. The finals of the competition will be played in a tournament format for the first time since 2001.

The twelve teams are divided into four groups of three teams with the winners qualifying for Friday's semi-finals. "I preferred the old system with only two teams facing each other," Krejcikova said. World number four Krejcikova, this year's French Open champion, is the highest-ranked player at the tournament shunned by the likes of Ashleigh Barty, Aryna Sabalenka and Garbine Muguruza. Krejcikova will spearhead the hosts Czech Republic.

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