The USTA announced that the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup Team will return to Asheville, N.C., for the third time in five years, as the Harrah’s Cherokee Center has been selected to host the United States’ Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas 2022 Qualifying matchup vs. Ukraine April 15-16, 2022.
Harrah’s Cherokee Center -- Asheville previously hosted the U.S. team in the first round of the competition formerly known as Fed Cup in 2018-19, two events that cumulatively generated more than $8 million in economic impact for the region and spurred significant increases in local tennis participation.
The Qualifier is a best-of-five match series that begins Friday, April 15, with two singles matches. Two reverse singles matches and the doubles match will follow on Saturday, April 16. Matches will be played on a temporary indoor hard court, and the winner will advance to the 2022 Finals in November at a location to be determined.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on November 19 at 10:00 a.m. and can be purchased at http://usta.com/bjkc or at Ticketmaster.
“Asheville was a tremendous host in 2018 and ‘19, and we’re happy to be coming back,” said Megan Rose, Managing Director, Major Events, USTA. “We are excited to once again combine a world-class sporting event with the opportunity to engage and inspire the next generation of tennis players and fans.”
"We are honored to become only the second city to host three Billie Jean King Cup ties,” said Chris Corl, General Manager, Harrah's Cherokee Center. “We thank the USTA and our local community partners, organizers and volunteers for their continued support with this event at the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville. This event has played a pivotal role in the expansion of youth and adult tennis programs throughout Western North Carolina over the past five years."
"On behalf of USTA North Carolina and the USTA Southern Section, we are thrilled to have this prestigious international event come back to our area," said Kelly Gaines, Executive Director, USTA North Carolina.
Billie Jean King Cup is the world’s largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with approximately 100 nations taking part each year. The site selection is subject to final approval by the International Tennis Federation.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking nine summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
ABOUT HARRAH’S CHEROKEE CENTER - ASHEVILLE (HCCA)
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville (HCCA), which features the ExploreAsheville.com Arena and Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, has hosted a diverse variety of events that reflect the creativity, uniqueness, and artistry that Asheville, N.C., and Western North Carolina is known for primarily. In recent years, the facility has hosted world-class sporting events such as NBA Preseason Games, two Billie Jean King Cups by BNP Paribas ties, the annual Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships, Asheville Championship, and the Camping World Maui Invitational as well as music and performances by Bob Dylan, The Lumineers, Dave Chappelle, John Prine, Old Dominion, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Widespread Panic, Billy Strings, Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam, and more.
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