Draw made for 2023 BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Vilamoura
The draw and opening ceremony for the 2023 BNP Paribas World Team Cup took place on Sunday at Vilamoura Tennis and Padel Academy in Portugal, with men’s top seeds Japan drawn in the same round-robin group as eight-time champions France.
France and Japan will play each other in Pool A, a round-robin pool that features just three nations this year after 2021 bronze medallists Argentina – already without the services of world No. 3 Gustavo Fernandez – were forced to withdraw from the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event.
Argentina’s withdrawal means that the men’s field now features 15 teams, while there will be seven teams in the junior event and overall the BNP Paribas World Team Cup will now be contested by 40 teams from 22 countries.
MEN
While Malaysia join Japan and France in Pool A of the men’s World Group, two-time World Team Cup champions Great Britain will play Poland and Brazil after beginning Pool B with a tie against Chile.
Spain, finalists in the men’s World Group for the last two years, will face Morocco, winners of this year’s African Qualification, in the opening tie in Pool C before both teams play Israel and South Africa.
Two-time defending champions Netherlands will play host nation Portugal in their opening Group D tie before going on to face Sri Lanka, the winners of this year’s World Team Cup Asian Qualification, and USA.
Men Pool A Men Pool B Men Pool C Men Pool D
WOMEN
With 10 teams in the field for the women’s World Group, the semi-finalists will be decided from two round-robin pools of three nations and one round-robin pool of four nations.
The top two teams will progress from Pool C, which features four nations, including third seeds Great Britain, Germany, France and Brazil. Great Britain and Germany were involved in an enthralling last round-robin tie that finished in a deciding doubles match to determine which of the two nations would progress to the 2021 semi-finals and this year’s group tie will be a highly intriguing prospect once again.
Pool A also presents a much-anticipated match-up, with top seeds Netherlands drawn to play China, P.R. in their opening round-robin tie, bringing together the two nations that contested the 2017 women’s final. On that occasion the Chinese team upset Netherlands on Dutch soil to win the BNP Paribas World Team Cup women’s title for the first time.
Women’s Pool B features both reigning World Team Cup champions and second seeds Japan and USA, the nation that’s won the last two bronze medals behind Netherlands and Japan, as well as Chile, winner of this year’s Americas Qualification.
Women Pool A Women Pool B Women Pool C
QUAD
Reigning champions and top seeds Netherlands will play South Africa in a repeat of last year’s final when the quad World Group ties get underway.
Netherlands and South Africa are drawn in Pool A of the quad event for the second year in a row and after finishing first and second in their pool in 2022 both teams went on to win their respective semi-finals.
Turkey are also in the same pool as Netherlands and Japan for the second year in a row. Winners of this year’s European Qualification, Turkey are likely provide tough opposition for nine-time champions USA on the opening day of competition.
Pool B in the quad event will begin with four-time World Team Cup champions Israel taking on 2019 champions Japan, while Brazil face World Team Cup debutants Thailand, the winners of this year’s Asian Qualification.
JUNIOR
The 2023 BNP Paribas World Team Cup junior World Group, which is once again supported by the Cruyff Foundation, begins with a Pool A round-robin tie between Brazil and former champions USA.
With only three teams in Pool A following the withdrawal of Argentina, Pool B starts with ties between seven-time former champions Netherlands and Belgium and two-time former champions and second seeds Great Britain and France.
Order of Play - Monday, 1 May 2023
Live streaming from Centre Court on the first day of play will be available here.
Live Scores will be available here.