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?

Paula Badosa - Spain

Five-time champions Spain dominated the Billie Jean King Cup in the 1990s, but its been 27 years since they last etched their names on the trophy. That said, if there's one person eager to end that title drought, it's Paula Badosa.

The former world No.2 has been hampered with injuries over the last couple of years but on the days where she's fit and firing, she has the game to take even the world's best players down.

During her Australian Open campaign at the beginning of the year, Badosa took down 17th seed Marta Kostyuk and world No.3 Coco Gauff on her way to reaching the semi-finals - her best Grand Slam run to date.

The Finals in Shenzhen will mark Badosa's first appearance since her first round exit to Britain's Katie Boulter at Wimbledon in July - but will she be able to help her nation return to the winners circle in 2025? We'll have to wait and see.

Jessica Pegula - USA 

This year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals will see Jessica Pegula lead out a strong USA team as they bid to be crowned champions for the first time since 2017.

Pegula has once again proven herself to be one of the most dominant and consistent players on the WTA tour this year having lifted three titles in Berlin, Charleston and Austin. as well as reaching the semi-finals at the US Open and final in Miami.

The 31-year-old brings a wealth of experience to the team across both the singles and doubles and will enter as one of the players to beat in Shenzhen. The 2025 Finals will mark Pegula's first appearance for the USA since she secured two singles wins over Belgium in the 2024 Qualifiers. 

The USA will arrive in third seeds and could be set to take on the Brits in the final four should they both win their quarter-final matches against Japan and Kazakhstan respectively. 

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.