By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, September 27, 2026
Photo credit: Billie Jean King Cup/World Tennis
Czech flags were flying and Czech players were soaring.
Linda Noskova out-dueled Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-6(5) clinching Czechia’s 12th Billie Jean King Cup championship with a 2-0 triumph over Ukraine at Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre Arena, Shenzhen, China today.
Wimbledon winner Noskova scored her eighth consecutive BJK Cup match win—she went 5-0 in the international team competition this season— leading Czechia to its first Billie Jean King Cup crown since 2018.
BJK super power Czechia boasts a commanding 12-1 record in BJK Cup Finals.
World No. 8 Karolina Muchova delivered a dominant serving display defeating Anhelina Kalinina 6-2, 6-3 to stake Czechia to a 1-0 lead.
Wimbledon finalist Muchova served 72 percent, won 24 of 28 first-serve points, cracked 8 aces and permitted just 5 points on serve overall in a commanding 70-minute conquest.
It’s the second time in six weeks Muchova has helped deliver a championship for Czechia. Muchova and Jakub Mensik joined forces to win the US Open mixed doubles crown in August.
It was a valiant effort from maiden finalist Ukraine, which was without world No. 10 Marta Kostyuk. Svitolina saved two match points before Noskova clinched the Cup on her third match point sending Czechia fans into joyous frenzy.
“Yeah, I had my chances I feel like in the both sets, to be fair, in the first set, especially when I broke her, but then she played really well,” Svitolina said. “Of course, was high intensity and high-risk tennis.
“Yeah, was not an easy day for us, but I’m really proud of the team, all the effort that we’ve done this year. Went one step closer to be the champions here, but not this year.
“We are really motivated for next year to come and do better.”
In her first year as Czechia captain, Barbora Strycova has made history. Former Grand Slam doubles champion Strycova is just the fourth woman to win the Billie Jean King Cup as both a player and a captain. Strycova joins a Hall of Fame cast of Margaret Court, Chrissie Evert and Billie Jean King in achieving that feat. She’s also the first player in event history to win the Billie Jean King Cup juniors title as a player and the Billie Jean King Cup title as a player and a captain. Strycova won the Billie Jean King Cup juniors title alongside Petra Cetkovska and Lucie Safarova in 2001
After Muchova set the stage, the pressure shifted squarely to Svitolina’s shoulders—and she responded rolling out to a 3-1 lead in today’s second singles match.
That’s when Noskova hit a higher gear hammering heavy drives in a damaging run that saw her reel off seven games in a row to seize command.
Deadlocked at 3-all, Noskova ratcheted up the pressure on Svitolina in a draining and dramatic 14-point game.
Svitolina staved off triple break point, then saved four more break points, denying seven break points at all. An unrelenting Noskova kept firing away finally scoring the crucial break for a 4-3 lead.
Noskova confirmed the break for 5-3 then broke Svitolina again to take a one-set lead.
Both three-time Rome champion Svitolina and Noskova protected serve with vigilance as drama escalated deep into the second set.
Stretching the service box with precision, Svitolina surged through 12 of 14 points on serve to force the second set tiebreaker.
An explosive Noskova raced out to a 6-3 lead before converting her third match point to deliver the Cup after one hour, 33 minutes.
Czechia’s 12 Billie Jean King Cup championships is second only to the United States, the all-time leader with 18 titles.
World No. 6 Noskova and the eighth-ranked Muchova are two of the 10 Czech women ranked inside the WTA’s Top 100.
Given their strength and depth, if Czech stars stay healthy we may well see another Czechia BJK Cup dynasty in the coming years.
A year ago, Italy swept both Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup championships. Today, Czechia’s women hoisted the BJK Cup, while Czech men, led by the nation’s former No. 1 Tomas Berdych, will take aim at the Davis Cup later this fall.
Billie Jean King Cup Final
At Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre Arena, Shenzhen, China
Czechia 2, Ukraine 0
Match 2: Linda Noskova (CZE) d. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 6-3, 7-6(5)
Match 1: Karolina Muchova (CZE) d. Anhelina Kalinina (UKR) 6-2, 6-3
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