After votes were cast and counted, Group A narrowly missed out on being declared the obligatory ‘Group of Death’ at the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, which get underway at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena on 8 November.

That particular accolade, if you can call it that, was assigned to Group D which features Czech Republic, USA and Poland, although a round-robin involving Switzerland, Canada and Italy is nothing if not hugely competitive.

Let’s look at the facts. Switzerland, who finished the inaugural 2021 Finals as runners-up, and Canada have within their ranks an Olympic champion and Grand Slam winner respectively in the form of Belinda Bencic and Bianca Andreescu.

Bencic so often reserves her best form for when she’s wearing national team colours and spearheaded Switzerland’s charge to last year’s final, defeating Grand Slam champions Angelique Kerber and Barbora Krejcikova along the way.

While Andreescu has not featured for Canada in Billie Jean King Cup for more than three-and-a-half years, her record is a powerful one, having won 10 of the 13 matches she has contested across singles and doubles.

She will also forever have the aura of a Grand Slam champion after topping the podium at the 2019 US Open, even though she has failed to add to her title haul during the intervening period and slipped to No. 59 in the world rankings.

Indeed, Bencic and Andreescu may not go head-to-head, with Leylah Fernandez Canada’s No. 1 player following a standout few years where she has proven more than capable of packing an almighty punch.

The same applies to Switzerland’s No. 2 Jil Teichmann, who has won seven of the eight matches she has played in the women’s world cup of tennis, while Viktorija Golubic, with that single-handed backhand, is no shrinking violet.

Switzerland’s showdown with Canada is the final Group A tussle and will be played out on the Emirates Arena Centre Court on Friday 11 November. Much could rest on its outcome, with only one team from each of the four groups progressing to the semi-finals.

However, all this talk of Switzerland and Canada and that’s before Italy are even mentioned, let alone thrown into the mix.

The Italians, led by captain Tathiana Garbin, will be the only nation in Glasgow with five players ranked inside the top 100, so Group A is by no means – no means at all – a two-horse race.

Italy may well lack the headline acts in terms of Olympic and Grand Slam champions, but their strength in depth is unquestionable and with the likes of Martina Trevisan and Camila Giorgi, they are unlikely to go quietly. In fact, they will most certainly make their presence felt.

Let battle commence!

Dates for your diary

9 November: Switzerland v Italy

10 November: Italy v Canada

11 November: Switzerland v Canada

How to watch

Switzerland: SRG SSR (FTA), Tennis Channel

Canada: ROGERStv (via Tennis Canada)

Italy: Super Tennis

Where to buy tickets

Buy tickets to the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals here