Svitolina Thrilled by Ukraine's BJK Cup Qualification: "It's a Very Special Moment"
Led by its two top-ranked WTA players, Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk, Ukraine qualified this weekend for the BJK Cup Final 8 for the very first time in its history.
After a dominant victory without dropping a single set in three matches against Poland on Friday (3-0), the team captained by former professional player Illya Marchenko had to work harder against Switzerland on Saturday afternoon.
While Ukraine only needed to win one set across the three scheduled matches, Marta Kostyuk fell in straight sets to Céline Naef (6-4, 7-6), leaving it to Elina Svitolina to secure her country's qualification.
The world No. 18 defeated Jil Teichmann (6-4, 6-2), before the doubles team of Nadiia Kichenok and Katarina Zavatska ultimately sealed Ukraine's 2-1 victory.
Svitolina, who notched her 17th singles win in the BJK Cup against Teichmann (tying the national record previously held by Elena Tatarkova in the competition), expressed her pride after seeing her nation advance to the 2025 Finals, set to take place in Shenzhen, China, next September.
"It wasn’t easy for us today after the first match, but I felt our spirit was strong, and the fighting mentality was there on the court. I’m very happy that the Ukrainian team has reached the Finals for the first time—it’s a very special moment for us and for our country.
I’ve played this competition several times, and this is the first time we’ve managed to go all the way. It’s a very special moment for me. I’m happy that we hung in there, fought hard, and ultimately reached the Finals.
Of course, I would have liked our team to win all the matches. I wouldn’t say I wasn’t worried, but I was nervous before stepping onto the court. This is a team tournament—we’re all here as one, fighting for a common goal, which is to win.
We’ll try to prepare well, assemble a strong team, and I hope everyone will be healthy and ready to play," the former world No. 3 told the local outlet Tribuna.
