Eight nations are set to battle it out in Shenzhen, China for the chance to be crowned world champions. 

With that being said, we’ve highlighted six must-watch players ahead of this year’s tournament, from Grand Slam titlists to British favourites and players who have won the coveted title before.

Sonay Kartal - Great Britain

Sonay Kartal was one of the biggest contributors to Great Britain booking their spot in this year's Finals. 

The British No.3 arrived at the Group F qualifiers in the Netherlands having never played a Billie Jean King Cup tie for her country. Fast forward to the end of the weekend and she had won both of her singles matches on debut against Jule Niemeier and Eva Vedder to help guide her nation to victory.

From then on, things have only gotten better for Kartal. The 23-year-old made headlines this summer when she enjoyed a sprint to the fourth round at Wimbledon - her best Grand Slam run to date - and clocked a new career-high ranking of world No.44.

Kartal will enter the Finals as the second highest ranked player in Anne Keothavong's squad and will be hoping she'll pick up where she left off on the Billie Jean King Cup stage.

Jasmine Paolini - Italy

2024 was a season to remember for Italian dynamo Jasmine Paolini. 

The 29-year-old reached two Grand Slam finals and a maiden WTA 1000 title before capping off the year by leading Italy to their first Billie Jean King Cup title in 11 years.

During their run to the silverware in Malaga, Paolini won four of her five matches across the singles and doubles rubbers to clock important points on the board for her country.

It’s been another impressive year so far for the world No.9 who sprinted to victory in front of her home crowd at the Rome Masters and recently finished runner-up at the Cincinnati Open.

With Paolini quickly finding her form, will she be able to recreate the magic once again to guide her nation to back-to-back titles?

Naomi Osaka - Japan

Japanese star Naomi Osaka arrives at the tournament as the most decorated player, having four Grand Slam titles to her name.

Having ridden the highs and lows over the last few years, Osaka has been slowly getting back to her best - recently reaching her first WTA 1000 final in three years years at the National Bank Open.

Osaka has been a dominant force on the hard courts during her career and has hauled seven of her eight WTA titles on the surface and could be tipped to cause an upset in Shenzhen.

The 27-year-old was forced to sit out of last year’s Finals in Malaga due to an injury but will be gunning to lead her nation to a maiden Billie Jean King Cup title.

They will get their campaign underway against Great Britain. 

Madison Keys - USA 

This year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals will include four Grand Slam champions with reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys amongst those set to compete.

After nearly 15 years competing on the WTA Tour, Keys managed to realise a life-long dream when she clinched the crown in Melbourne back in January - defeating five seeds on her way, including world No.2 Iga Swiatek and world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Since then, Keys has racked up some sturdy results including quarter-final appearances at Roland Garros, Madrid Open and National Bank Open as well as making the semi-finals at the HSBC Championships.

The 30-year-old is set to return to Billie Jean King Cup action for the first time in three years and makes up part of a strong US team that is looking to end an eight-year title drought at the tournament.

Elina Svitolina - Ukraine

Back in April, Elina Svitolina produced some inspiring performances in the Group Stages that led Ukraine to top Group E and book their spot to the Finals for the first time in their history.

Since making her tournament debut in 2012, Svitolina has gone on to tally 17 singles wins for her country and could be a strong contender to rock the boat this tournament.

It’s been another memorable season for Svitolina who has gone from strength to strength since returning from maternity leave in April 2023. In 2025 alone, she’s reached the quarter-finals at four tournaments, including Australian Open, Roland Garros, Indian Wells and Rome and clinched her first title of the year on the clay in Rouen in April.

As a result, she’s cracked into the world’s top 15 for the first time in three years and is brimming with confidence heading into the tournament in Shenzhen, where she will look to lead Ukraine to Billie Jean King Cup glory.

Elena Rybakina - Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan have reached the Finals of the Billie Jean King Cup three times in the last five years and much of their success is thanks to Elena Rybakina.

The 26-year-old has been one of the most consistent players on the WTA Tour in recent years. With nine titles to her name, including the 2022 Wimbledon crown, Rybakina knows what it takes to beat the best players in the world and will be an important asset to the Kazakh team ahead of their bid for the title in Shenzhen.

As far as her performances at the Billie Jean King Cup go, Rybakina has amassed a 9-2 win record, and won both of her singles matches at this year’s Group D qualifiers. 

With Rybakina finding her form during the American hard court swing, she's set to be one of the standout stars of this year's Finals.