Shibahara fulfils family dream with trip to Malaga
13/11/2024 15:40
It has long been Ena Shibahara’s goal to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and her selection for Japan is giving her a chance to take centre stage
By Matt Roberts
When Ena Shibahara steps out to play for Japan at the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals this week, she won’t just be fulfilling her own dream.
“It was one of my dreams to play for my country and it was actually my grandparents' dream for me as well”, she said on Tuesday. “So to be able to play with my Japan flag on my shirt and to fight for my country is such a great honour.”
So far, playing Billie Jean King Cup has meant playing doubles for Shibahara, and she’s put together a formidable 8-1 record, with her only loss coming against Kazakhstan in April when the tie had already been decided. In live matches, she has been flawless.
But Shibahara will have an elevated role in Malaga this week as she is expected to step up and play singles in place of the injured Naomi Osaka. The four-time major champion helped Japan to qualify for these Finals, but she has not recovered in time from a recent back injury. Losing such a talismanic figure to injury is always a blow for a side, but it can have a unifying effect on the rest of the team as they figure out a way to be greater than the sum of their parts.
Captain Ai Sugiyama is certainly hoping that the team’s togetherness can see them through when they take on Romania on Thursday.
“Since Naomi got injured, she really wanted to be here, but unfortunately she couldn't be ready for this BJK Finals”, said Sugiyama. “With these players, Ena is playing singles instead of Naomi, but we have a great team spirit and our teamwork is really special. I’m really looking forward to playing with these girls.”
Sugiyama has a perfect 7-0 record since taking over as captain in 2023 and she reflected a little on the team’s journey as they prepare for their first-ever appearance at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
“Two years ago we started from the Asia Oceania regional event and we won five matches there, and also the playoff against Colombia and Kazakhstan in April. The players are really putting out so much energy to play Billie Jean King Cup with tough scheduling, but their performance is really great, and then with the team spirit, it's so good. We just think about one step, one match at a time, and we're looking forward to having a great time.”
It will be Sugiyama’s role to best configure the team in Osaka’s absence. Shibahara is certainly more at home on a doubles court, but she has picked up singles wins in recent weeks over Linda Fruhvirtova, Marina Stakusic, Kimberly Birrell and Daria Saville.
Then there’s Moyuka Uchijima who leads the side and is enjoying a career-best season that’s taken her into the world’s Top 60.
Nao Hibino, meanwhile, has won five of the last seven matches she has contested in Billie Jean King Cup competition since returning to the Japanese team for the first time since 2019 at the 2023 Playoffs, including defeating Anna Danilina and Yulia Putintseva in Japan’s 3-1 victory against Kazakhstan in the Qualifiers this year.
“Playing in Billie Jean King Finals is one of my goals when I was kid, so I'm so honoured and grateful to be here”, Hibino said. “I’m feeling great on the court, the surface suits me, so I'm looking forward to playing.”
