Former champions China, P.R. and Japan are drawn in the same round-robin group of three nations for the pool phase of the women’s World Group at the 2024 BNP Paribas World Team Cup, which gets underway on Tuesday at the Megasaray Tennis Academy in Antalya, Turkey.

The Chinese team stunned defending champions Netherlands in the final in 2017 to become the first Asian nation to lift the women’s title at the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event. This year's four-strong Chinese team, again led by Zhenzhen Zhu, are second seeds for the women’s World Group behind the Dutch this time.

Japan also upset Netherlands in the 2022 final, but this year the Japanese team is without the services of world No. 2 Yui Kamiji, who has had to withdraw due to illness.

While Netherlands are drawn alongside Brazil and Great Britain Group A, Germany join China, P.R. and Japan in Group B, of the remaining six nations in the women’s World Group, regional qualification winners South Africa, Colombia and Switzerland are drawn to play each other in Group C and Asian Qualification winners Thailand will play France and Morocco in Group D.

Great Britain men eye Antalya repeat

The last time that the BNP Paribas World Team Cup was held in Antalya, in 2015, Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid helped Great Britain to a maiden World Group men’s title.

As well as facing Brazil in the group phase of this year’s women’s World Group, Great Britain and Brazil will also meet in Group A in the men’s World Group, where they will also former champions Japan and African Qualification winners South Africa.

Group B will see two-time silver medallists and this year’s second seeds Spain take on Germany, Morocco and USA, while Group C will seed third seeds Netherlands face Chile, Sri Lanka and host nation Turkiye in a bid to reach the knockout semi-finals.

Group D in the men’s World Group brings together fourth seeds France, Austria, Poland and Thailand.

Quad top seeds Chile to face South Africa and Japan

As well as making their debut in the quad World Group this year, Chile go into the event as top seeds.

Reigning Parapan American Games quad doubles gold medallists Francisco Cayulef and Diego Perez steered their country to victory at the combined Asia/Oceania and Americas Qualification and as well as making history themselves in Antalya, as Chile contests the quad World Group for the first time, they will meet fellow World Team Cup history makers South Africa in their group.

South Africa’s quad team became the first team from the African continent to contest a World Team Cup World Group final in 2022 and, aside from Chile, they will play Brazil and former champions Japan in their Group A round-robin ties.

Host nation Turkiye face a tough task as they being their quest to win a first World Team Cup  World Group medal, having been drawn against three former quad World Group champions – Australia, Great Britain and USA.

All four of 2023 junior semi-finalists drawn together

Since 2019 Australia and Great Britain have won three of the four BNP Paribas World Team Cup junior titles between them and, this year, they are both drawn in a fascinating heat in Group A, which features four countries who are all multiple junior champions.

Australia, Britain, Netherlands and USA will all meet each other in the round-robin phase of this year’s event, with just two teams progressing to the knockout semi-finals after all four countries reached last year’s semi-finals.

The class of 2024 promises to be provide mixture of excitement and intrigue, with second seeds Brazil coming up against Belgium, Japan and South Africa in a Group B, in an event that showcases many of the players that feature in the top 10 of the Cruyff Foundation Junior Wheelchair Tennis Rankings.