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Costa Rica Women’s Tennis Team Wins Billie Jean King Cup Group

Costa Rica’s women’s tennis team won the Billie Jean King Cup Americas Group III title after defeating Barbados 2-1 in the final and finishing the tournament undefeated. The victory also secured Costa Rica’s promotion to Americas Group II for the next competition cycle, giving the national team a step up in the regional structure of women’s international tennis.

Costa Rica completed a perfect week at the Polideportivo de Ciudad Merliot in El Salvador, where the team beat Trinidad and Tobago, Bermuda, Jamaica and Panama in the group stage before meeting Barbados in the final. The championship tie came down to doubles after Costa Rica and Barbados split the singles matches. The Costa Rican team won the deciding doubles point to close the series and complete its unbeaten run.

The national team was made up of Ariana Rahmanparast, Lucía Gallegos, Allison Blanco and Valentina Obregón. Andrea Brenes captained the squad. The Billie Jean King Cup is the main international team competition in women’s tennis, formerly known as the Fed Cup. For countries outside the top global tiers, regional group play is the path upward, making promotion the main prize.

For Costa Rica, the result is a strong sign of progress in a sport that often receives less attention than soccer, surfing or athletics. The team did not just earn promotion; it did so by winning every tie it played during the week.

The title also gives Costa Rica another regional sports success at a time when women’s tennis is trying to build deeper national programs across Central America and the Caribbean. The Group III field included several countries fighting for the same promotion path, making consistency across singles and doubles essential.

Costa Rica now moves into a more difficult competitive tier, where it will face stronger regional opposition and a higher standard of depth across each roster. The next challenge will be turning this promotion into staying power. Group II will test whether Costa Rica can build on this title with a broader player base, more international match experience and continued support for the women’s national program.

For now, the team leaves El Salvador with the three results it wanted: the title, an undefeated record and promotion.

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Steven Hodel
Steven Hodel
Steven Hodel is the Tennis Correspondent for The Tico Times, covering the ATP and WTA tours and Latin American players from his base in Costa Rica. Reach him at steve@ticotimes.net or on X at @theticotimes.
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