'A feeling like no other': USA seal Billie Jean King Cup Juniors glory
USA have been crowned Billie Jean King Cup Juniors by BNP Paribas winners for a record-extending seventh time after overcoming defending champions Czech Republic on the clay of Antalya, Türkiye.
Impressive duo Valerie Glozman and Clervie Ngounoue were in ruthless form and clinically dispatched Lucie Urbanova and Tereza Valentova in straight sets as the USA claimed their first tournament title since 2019.
Ngounoue, who is originally from Washington, D.C., has proven herself a formidable competitor throughout the week, winning all seven matches she has contested across singles and doubles, although she perhaps saved her best form for the final.
Defeating a player 29 places higher in the rankings, junior world No. 40 Ngounoue was a mixture of power and poise as she administered the knockout blow which powered the United States into an unassailable lead.
“To win the decisive point for USA was an unbelievable feeling,” Ngounoue told itftennis.com. “It was a feeling like no other.
“I was so glad to bring it home. I tried not to think of the end, I just tried to take it point by point. I was thinking of the entire team. This wasn’t just for me and the USA, but the three girls and three boys I came here with.
“The whole week has been insane, and I am so blessed to have such an amazing team. The support and chemistry within the group is what really took us so far and it is going to suck to leave each other. It has been an unbelievable week with an unbelievable atmosphere.”
By topping the Billie Jean King Cup Juniors podium and being named the best team on the planet in the 16-and-under age category, Glozman, Ngounoue and Iva Jovic have followed in some incredibly lofty footsteps.
Since 2015 alone, the likes of world No. 1s Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, fellow American Coco Gauff, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov and Marketa Vondrousova have all been crowned Davis Cup Juniors or Billie Jean King Cup Juniors champions.
Taylor Townsend, another former winner, joined the USA’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Kathy Rinaldi on a video call to congratulate the girls moments after they had sealed victory at the Megasaray Tennis Academy.
With the ITF’s November to Remember firmly underway, Rinaldi and Townsend are currently in Glasgow preparing for the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, which start on Tuesday. After tasting such success on national service, Ngounoue has designs on one day representing her nation on the biggest of stages.
“Participating at this event definitely acts as a motivation for me and the dream I have to one day play in the Olympics,” added the 16-year-old, who also represented the United States at the 2019 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in Prostejov.
“It is definitely going to push me because I know I am taking the road that a lot of professionals have taken. Performing here this week has definitely made me more determined, motivated and inspired.
“I would also like to say good luck to captain Kathy [Rinaldi], Madison [Keys], Jessica [Pegula], Coco [Gauff], Taylor [Townsend] and Danielle [Collins] at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. God bless and we will be rooting for you from home.”
In 2014, the United States were crowned both Davis Cup Juniors and Billie Jean King Cup Juniors champions and the class of 2022 were on a mission to do likewise.
Unfortunately, the final proved a step too far for the nation’s boys as they were defeated by a slick Brazil team featuring the prodigiously talented Joao Fonseca.
Nevertheless, the whole experience of Team USA in Antalya will be showcased in a behind-the-scenes video. All on the Line: Team USA, which will be released on the ITF website and ITF social media channels in the coming days, will contain rarely seen footage of aspiring players competing for their nations at an international team event.
Click here for a full breakdown of results
2022 Billie Jean King Cup Juniors
Finals standings
1) USA; 2) Czech Republic; 3) Japan; 4) Serbia; 5) Türkiye; 6) Argentina; 7) Germany; 8) Australia; 9) Netherlands; 10) Spain; 11) Tunisia; 12) Egypt; 13) Chile; 14) Colombia; 15) Thailand; 16) Mexico