BJK Cup Regional Groups Recap: Avanesyan shines for Armenia, Philippines return to Group I

Elina Avanesyan announced her return to top-tier tennis as she helped Armenia return to Europe/Africa Group II for the first time since 2011 in the recent round of Regional Group action at the Billie Jean King Cup.

The former World No. 36 was laid low by a wrist injury and then mononucleosis — also known as glandular fever — in 2025, and dropped out of the top 300 in the WTA Singles Rankings.

But on her BJK Cup debut for Armenia, Avanesyan won all her four matches during Europe Group III play in San Marino to lead her team to promotion.

While the 2026 BJK Cup season will reach a climax in September with the showpiece Finals in Shenzhen, China, the battle for spots in the Regional Groups for next year’s competition has already begun. Three BJK Cup Regional Group events took place at the end of June.

While Armenia and Moldova earned promotion from Europe/Africa Group III, Hong Kong and the Philippines sealed a place in Asia Oceania Group I, while Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago are set to step up to Americas Group II.

How do BJK Cup Regional Groups work?

Regional Group events take place over a week at one location. Each Group is split into round-robin pools, with play-offs then deciding promotion and relegation. The exact format of each Group varies according to the number of participating teams.

Here’s a deeper dive into the regional action in June:

Asia Oceania Group II

The Philippines earned promotion to Asia Oceania Group I for the first time since 2017. Playing without their biggest name in Alexandra Eala, the Philippines topped Group A and then edged Uzbekistan 2-1 in the promotion play-offs.

With teams level on 1-1 after the singles matches, Alexa Joy Milliam and Shaira Rivera claimed an epic 6-4 3-6 10-6 win over Uzbekistan’s Nigina Alimova and Sevil Yuldasheva in the doubles to secure their progress.

The Asia Oceania Group II matches were held on the hard courts of the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the 10 competing teams were split into two groups of five, with the top two finishers advancing to the promotion play-offs.

While the Philippines and Hong Kong qualified from Group A, Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan progressed from Group B.

Hong Kong’s highest-ranked nominated player in the tie, Cheuk Ying Shek, did not drop a single set through the week. Fittingly, she wrapped up their successful campaign with a 6-1 6-0 win over the higher-ranked Ya Yi Yang as Hong Kong defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 to immediately return to Group I.

Laos and Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, dropped down to Group III after losing their relegation play-offs against Pacific Oceania and Sri Lanka respectively.

Europe Group III

San Marino played host to Europe Group III, as 13 teams contested for two spots to step up to Europe/Africa Group II.

The competing nations were first split into four groups and Estonia (Group A), Moldova (Group B), Malta (Group C) and Armenia (Group D) topped their respective pools to advance to the promotion play-offs.

Avanesyan, whose parents had emigrated from Armenia to Russia, switched nationalities and started playing for the country of her parents’ birth from 2024. Donning the Armenia jersey for the first time in BJK Cup action, the 23-year-old made an instant impact as she remained unbeaten through the week to help her team return to Europe/Africa Group II.

The 23-year-old is also on comeback trail after dealing with her injury and illness issues.

“Making my debut for Armenia in the Billie Jean King Cup was one of the most special moments of my career,” Avanesyan told billiejanekingcup.com afterwards.

“It meant a lot to finally have that opportunity and to be part of such a successful week for the team. The last year had its ups and downs so being able to contribute to the team and enjoy competing again made this week very special. I enjoyed every minute on court and every moment with the team.

Armenia overcame Estonia 2-0 in the promotion play-offs. Moldova, meanwhile, defeated Malta 2-0 to seal a return to Europe/Africa II for the first time since 2021.

MORE: Everything to know about the Billie Jean King Cup Format in 2026 | Full draw for 2026 BJK Cup Finals

Americas Group III

A total of 10 teams battled for two promotion places from Americas Group III, during the regional qualifiers held at Federacion Salvadorena de Tenis, Santa Tecla in El Salvador.

With the teams divided into two groups of five, only the top two finishers made it to the promotion play-offs.

While hosts El Salvador were unbeaten in the round-robin stage and topped Group A, they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Trinidad & Tobago in the play-offs.

Jordane Dookie, who won four out of her five singles matches during the week, helped Trinidad & Tobago draw level from a 1-0 deficit. Dookie then returned for the doubles contest, and in the company of Anneliese Rose, overcame Michelle Irigoyen & Susana Souhrada 6-0 6-1 in just 44 minutes to help her team progress.

Trinidad & Tobago returned to the BJK Cup in 2024 after a five-year absence and earned promotion in their third year back.

Costa Rica, meanwhile, remained unbeaten through the campaign. After topping Group B, they recovered from a wobble in the second singles to beat Barbados 2-1 overall and regain their place in Americas Group II.