Billie Jean King will attend Team USA matches in Asheville, make donation for Ukrainian relief

Asheville Citizen Times

Billie Jean King will be back in Asheville to attend Team USA's qualifying matches in the tournament that now dons her name. She was previously in Asheville for the Americans' qualifying tie in 2019, when the competition was known as Fed Cup.

Billie Jean King will be in Asheville next weekend for Team USA's qualifying tie against Ukraine in the international tennis tournament that dons her name.

The tennis legend and social justice pioneer will feature in the opening ceremony before the start of the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying matches the afternoon of April 15 at Harrah's Cherokee Center.

King and her partner, Ilana Kloss, will also donate $50,000 to a Ukranian relief fund, the United States Tennis Association announced Thursday, the latest in a growing list of donation efforts tied to the event. The USTA is donating 10% of ticket revenue from the weekend to the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, and Harrah's Cherokee Resorts, Ingles Markets and New Belgium Brewing Company have also pledged donations.

King was also in attendance in 2019, when Asheville hosted a Fed Cup qualifying tie between Team USA and Australia. In 2020, the name of the competition was changed to honor King.

USA and Ukraine will play a best-of-five match (four singles, one doubles) qualifier to decide which team moves on to November's 12-team Billie Jean King Cup finals. Two singles matches will be played Friday, followed by two more singles and a doubles Saturday.

Both teams have seen some late roster changes. Danielle Collins and Sloane Stephens will no longer be in action for Team USA, opening a spot for Allison Riske (ranked No. 43 in singles), who joins Jessica Pegula (singles No. 13), Shelby Rogers (singles No. 44) and Desirae Krawczyk (doubles No. 18) on the American squad.

For Ukraine, Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk each pulled out of the lineup. They will be replaced by Dayana Yastremska (singles No. 102). The rest of the Ukranian team is Katarina Zavatska (singles No. 215), Lyudmyla Kichenok (doubles No. 35) and Nadiia Kichenok (doubles No. 42).