PICTURE: Elena Rybakina treated to giant red rose bouquet as she arrives in Shezhen for Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Elena Rybakina has arrived in Shenzhen ahead of the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup 2025 finals. She was greeted with something special upon her arrival. A special bouquet was waiting for Rybakina, pleasing the Kazakh tennis star.

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On Sunday, Rybakina shared a photo of a giant bouquet of deep red roses. The former Wimbledon champion took to her Instagram stories to share the lavish floral gift, posting a snapshot with the stunning Shenzhen skyline in the background. The roses were meticulously wrapped in elegant black paper and a decorative ribbon. There was also a heartfelt note, with warm greetings. She captioned the post:

“謝謝” (thank you)

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The tournament will feature eight teams battling it out for the Billie Jean King Cup over six days. It's a knockout format, where Italy, Great Britain, the United States and Spain will face China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Japan, respectively, in the quarterfinals.

Each tie will feature three matches: two singles and one doubles match. It will follow a best-of-three tie-break format.

Elena Rybakina's Kazakhstan to face USA in Billie Jean King Cup

Elena Rybakina will be motivated to do well in China after her run at the US Open came to a halt in the fourth round at the hands of Markéta Vondroušová in three sets.

She will represent Kazakhstan, who will take on the title favorites USA. The tie will take place on Thursday, with matches starting at 10 am local time (10 p.m. Sep. 17 ET, 3 a.m.). If Rybakin's team manages to get past the USA, they will face the winner of the Great Britain vs Japan tie. The finals of the tournament will be played on Sun, September 21, at 5 pm local time.

Elena Rybakina will be joined by Jessica Pegula (USA) and Jasmine Paolini (Italy) as some of the top stars in the tournament.

Rybakina's Kazakhstan squad will be captained by Yuriy Schukin and her rest of her team includes Yulia Putintseva, Zarina Diyas, Anna Danilina and Zhibek Kulambayeva.

Meanwhile, Team USA, led by captain Lindsay Davenport, features Pegula, Emma Navarro, Hailey Baptiste, Taylor Townsend and McCartney Kessler (replacing Madison Keys).

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Krutik Jain

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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