BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

September 26, 2026

Illya Marchenko

Elina Svitolina

Anhelina Kalinina

Team Ukraine

Press Conference

Team Ukraine - 2

Team Italy - 0

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the victory. A step forward since last year. Your thoughts on that, Illya, how happy you are.

CAPTAIN MARCHENKO: Well, it's a difficult question how to describe happiness.

Of course, we are really very proud. I am very proud of my team. Obviously it was great day for us, almost perfect day. We are really happy to get that revenge. We are really happy to be in the finals for the first time in our history.

I'm really glad that we are able to bring this joy, these moments of joy, to our spectators and fans here and back in Ukraine, especially. These are obviously very difficult times for our country.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Illya, can you compare how you're feeling tonight compared to how you were feeling sitting here after a very tough loss to Italy this time last year?

CAPTAIN MARCHENKO: Well, obviously I like this one better (smiling). I mean, last year we were, yeah, happy and sad at the same time. It was very close. We gave it all. Elina gave it all. Of course, it's disappointing, but at that moment we were happy as well because it was first time for us in semifinals. Now it's first time for us in the finals.

Yeah, we hope for more. We're eager for more. I mean, obviously it's very, very different situation. Yeah, just glad (smiling).

Q. Elina, again you played that tie last year. Even this week a loss on Thursday, but coming back today with such a strong performance. How did you in the last two days reset and prepare yourself to play against Paolini today?

ELINA SVITOLINA: I was very upset after the first day against Belgium, about my performance, because I felt like I didn't play at my best. But all the credits to Minnen. She played an unbelievable match.

Of course, it was a great chance for us that girls won in doubles, gave us a chance to play in the semifinals. I really tried to use this chance, get better with my game, with my performance.

Thanks to the team that they really supported me in this way. We practiced, we worked on few things. I'm very happy that we passed Italy and now we're in the finals. Such an historical moment for Ukraine.

Just really happy and proud of the team. Looking forward for tomorrow.

Q. Anhelina, you played first for the second tie in a row. Was it tough playing against Tyra Grant, who had never played this competition before, had nothing to lose, you were probably the favorite for that match? Did you feel more pressure?

ANHELINA KALILINA: Actually I was not thinking about that. We never met. We never practiced. But I know that she's a very great player. I was just kind of sticking to the plan that we made just before the match.

Yeah, very talented player. I'm really happy that I was able to close it in two sets today.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about facing Czechia tomorrow. They're an extremely strong team with so much history in this competition. For the next 24 hours or so, what are your plans to prepare for that tie?

CAPTAIN MARCHENKO: Well, obviously they have an excellent team. On paper they are big favorites. They were big favorites at the beginning of this week. Tomorrow, as well.

But it's finals. We know in finals anything can happen. Nerves come to play. I believe in my team. We are very united. We are great as a team.

Yeah, we will try to just perform our best. Of course, we want to win. It doesn't matter who we going to face tomorrow, we gonna to win (smiling).

ELINA SVITOLINA: It's okay. We gonna win (laughter)?

CAPTAIN MARCHENKO: Want to be confident like that (laughter).

I want to say we're going to fight for the win.

ELINA SVITOLINA: We have very confident captain. Only give us confidence.

CAPTAIN MARCHENKO: High expectations, as always.

Q. Elina, you already said you were so upset on Thursday. Given what happened today, even what happened last year, seeing your celebration today, does this feel like a redemption to you personally?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, I try to make it happen because, of course, I think I was very upset with my performance, with the way that I didn't handle myself as well as I could last year. Still we were leading 1-0 in the matches. I had everything in my hands. It just slipped out. I was very upset. Felt like I let my country down. Yeah, was really heavy weight for me.

Coming into today's match, I tried to really focus on what I can control, just focus from the very beginning until the last point, really prove myself first that I can go through these kind of matches.

Sometimes it happens. We're all humans. It happens. But in a way I just wanted to bring this win to Ukrainian people and Ukraine and of course to my team.

Q. What would it mean to bring the first world title to Ukraine?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Firstly, I think we already very happy with the finals here. But the job is not done. Czechia is a massive favorite I think on the paper, so we have nothing to lose in a way. We'll be going with this mindset.

I think just trying to bring our good game, stay focused on what we have to do tactically. With this, give ourselves a good chance to fight, maybe get the trophy.

Of course, this would be a dream for us, for Ukraine. Yeah, I really, really hope that one day - maybe tomorrow, maybe some other day - that we're going to lift this trophy for Ukrainian people. Means so much for the history of tennis. We have so many great players.

I think in such a difficult time right now with the war ongoing, with the daily attacks on various cities, I think these kind of wins, any kind of win in sports, it's just unbelievable. It unites people and just gives them a little break from the daily attacks and the war.

Q. Elina, I just saw the statistics of the match. Your first-serve percentage is as high as 82%. You're dominating the game. Did you do any tactical preparations for this matchup?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, I worked with the team, with the coaches on the team, to work on few things, to adjust my game, because I was definitely not happy with my performance in the first match against Belgium.

We looked back, analyzed quickly. I was very happy that I have a chance to play today. So this was my chance to really get better and to play good match.

I'm very happy I could do it, from practice transfer this to the match. Yeah, just happy that in this short time I could regroup and find my good game again, especially in such a big moment.