![\"Team](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2186146366-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Giampiero Sposito\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
They could meet another strong contender, Team USA, in the Billie Jean King Cup<\/a> final, having been placed in opposite halves of the draw.<\/p>\n Adding another layer of intrigue to a potential clash between the two nations, one teenage WTA<\/a> star who represented the United States as recently as five months ago has been called up to the Italian team.<\/p>\n Former American star Tyra Grant receives first Italy call-up<\/p>\n 17-year-old Tyra Grant was born in Rome, Italy, but represented the United States throughout her junior career.<\/p>\n Winning three junior Grand Slam doubles titles, Grant quickly established herself as one of the top prospects in American tennis.<\/p>\n Tyra Grant\u2019s Junior Grand Slam wins2023 French Open w\/ Clervie Ngounoue2024 Australian Open w\/ Iva Jovic2024 Wimbledon w\/ Iva Jovic<\/p>\n She made further waves at the 2024 US Open<\/a>, reaching the semifinals of the senior mixed doubles event alongside Aleksandar Kovacevic.<\/p>\n Looking to kickstart her WTA Tour<\/a> career, Grant switched allegiances in May 2025 to Italy.<\/p>\n In doing so, Grant was granted a wildcard into the main draw of the Italian Open<\/a>, where she lost in round one to qualifier Antonia Ruzic in three sets.<\/p>\n Now ranked 208th in the world, Grant has been handed her first call-up to the Italian Billie Jean King Cup team, ahead of next week\u2019s finals.<\/p>\n Speaking to the media ahead of the finals, Italian captain Tathiana Garbin explained her decision to pick Grant.<\/p>\n \u201cTyra [Grant] is a young athlete who has already shown enormous potential and significant signs of growth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe it\u2019s crucial to offer such a prestigious opportunity to the new generations, as our primary mission is to ensure continuity in the team\u2019s technical project and build a concrete legacy for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Grant will look to learn a lot from the experience, playing with the defending Billie Jean King Cup champions.<\/p>\n Italy\u2019s 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals teamTathiana Garbin (captain)Jasmine PaoliniSara ErraniElisabetta CocciarettoLucia BronzettiTyra Grant<\/p>\n Whether Grant will be selected to play matches at the event remains to be seen, but she will certainly add value to the team.<\/p>\n With Italy expected to return to the final in 2025, Grant could face off against her \u2018former\u2019 nation, should Team USA do the same.<\/p>\n Team USA and Team Italy\u2019s routes to the Billie Jean King Cup final<\/p>\n The Italians will begin their tournament with a tie against the home team, China.<\/p>\n Following the injury to Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng<\/a>, the Chinese team will rely on Wang Xinyu in her absence.<\/p>\n Should Italy make it past the Chinese, they\u2019d advance to play either Spain or Ukraine in the final four.<\/p>\n Paula Badosa and Elina Svitolina<\/a> are the two star players for their respective teams, but would again be considered underdogs against a formidable Italian side.<\/p>\n Team USA will play Kazakhstan in their quarterfinal tie, a team led by former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina<\/a>.<\/p>\n Assuming the Americans win their opener, they\u2019d take on one of Great Britain or Japan in the semifinals.<\/p>\n![\"Tyra](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2214724037-1024x754.jpg\")
Photo by Silvia Lore\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Sara](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2165347457-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Daniel Kopatsch\/Getty Images<\/p>\n