Australia’s newest tennis star Talia Gibson will lead a formidable home team when the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge returns to Melbourne Park on April 10–11, with Australia taking on archrivals Great Britain in a high‑stakes Qualfier clash.
The 21-year-old Gibson is among the five-player Australian squad after a breakout week at Indian Wells with victories over three top-20 players in five days, including world No.7 Jasmine Paolini.
Gibson’s fearless rise to No.67 in the world in the live rankings has made her one of the most exciting young players in global tennis.
She joins Australia’s previously announced No.1 woman and world No.31 Maya Joint and former world No.1 doubles player Storm Hunter.
World No.77 Kimberly Birrell and world No.22 doubles specialist Ellen Perez round out a powerful Culture Amp Australian Billie Jean King Cup squad.
The winner of the tie will advance to the eight‑nation Billie Jean King Cup Finals in China this September.
Eight-time Grand Slam champion and Australian team captain Sam Stosur said she was excited by the depth of female tennis in Australia and blend of emerging talent and experience selected in the team.
“This was probably the hardest team to pick given the how well everyone's playing at the moment,” Stosur said.
“Talia is really on the rise and is a really aggressive player. She doesn’t hold back on too many shots. I'm really excited to have her back on the team and keep seeing her progression.
“Kim is such a great player and has had a fantastic past 18 months. Her level has improved so much and she is such a positive person to have around the girls.
“Ellen has so much experience and played so many huge tournaments. She loves going out and supporting the other Aussies and will do anything for a teammate.”
With no AFL matches in Melbourne that weekend, the BJK Cup offers families an affordable and exciting weekend of world-class tennis at Melbourne Park.
The remaining members of the Australian team will be confirmed mid-March.
Fast facts
- Australia is one of four nations to have competed in the BJK Cup competition every year since it began.
- Australia sits third on the all-time champions list with 7 wins, only behind Czechia (11) and United States (18).
- Evonne Goolagong, Dianne Fromholtz and Janet Young last led Australia to Fed Cup victory in 1974.
- In 2025, Australia lost their Qualifiers tie 2–1 to Kazakhstan. However, they rebounded with a 2–0 Play-off win over Brazil to secure a place back in the 2026 Qualifiers against Great Britain.
- Melbourne last hosted a BJK Cup tie in April 2011, with Ukraine defeating Australia 3-2.
- Australia last played Great Britain in a BJK Cup tie in the 2022 Qualifiers, winning 2-1 after a nail-biting tie-deciding doubles super tie-break.
- Australia is currently ranked the No.12 nation in Billie Jean King Cup rankings.
- Australia has finished runners-up twice in recent years, in 2019 and 2022.
Tickets are now on sale via Ticketek with adult tickets from $23 and two-day adult ticket packages from $34.70. Kids 12&U go free across both days. For more information or to book, click here.
For more information about the Billie Jean King Cup visit here.