Aussies getting set to take on France in crucial BJK Cup tie in November

(Photo - Tennis Australia)

Australia has named its squad for its upcoming Billie Jean King Cup tie against France on November 21-22 with two of the world's top 50 players Talia Gibson and Kim Birrell leading the charge.

Gibson and Birrell, who both secured breakthrough career-high rankings last month, are joined by two-time WTA champion Maya Joint and the experienced former world No.1 doubles

player Storm Hunter.

The tie will see the team face off against France for the first time since their gruelling 2019 BJK Cup Final in Perth, where Australia fell agonisingly short of claiming the title, 3-2.

It will also be the first time in the BJK Cup's 63-year history that the nations meet on French soil.

The winner of the 2026 Play-offs tie will progress to the 2027 Qualifiers and move one step closer to securing a place in the 2027 Finals. The losing nation will battle it out in a 2027 Regional Group, aiming to return to the Qualifiers and Finals in 2028.

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Eight-time Grand Slam champion and Australian team captain Sam Stosur said the team comprises Australia's absolute best.

“It’s fantastic having two players in the top 50. It’s exciting for Australian tennis overall and obviously those two [Birrell and Gibson] individually,” she said. “Success breeds success and more than anything, it pushes everyone else to try and get to that spot.

“Gibson had that amazing run through March on the US hard court and she recently made her first WTA final in Singapore as well. Birrell won her first WTA title in Seoul a few weeks ago and her ranking has gone in the right direction all year.

“Joint has been really reliable, and she’s had some success in both formats of the sport recently. Hunter is the leader of the group and is the most experienced on the singles and doubles court. We can really lean on her experience.

“They are the best players in the country; they’ve all had fantastic years and they’re all in really good form at the moment.”

The team blends experience, flexibility and youth, with Gibson and Joint, two of Australia’s brightest young prospects, aged just 22 and 20 respectively.

“We can easily switch in and out any of our players. It’s a good position to be in, to have variety and know we have the quality there no matter what.”

Australia’s 2019 heartbreak will provide some extra motivation for Stosur, who played in that tie.

“Yeah, I might bring that up. This is the first time playing them since then and I’ll be gunning for the win, that’s for sure,” Stosur said.

The fifth and final player of the Australian team will be confirmed in early November.

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