BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Former WKU Women's Tennis player Samantha Martinez will be a part of the Venezuelan national team competing in the Billie Jean King Cup this week at Club Deportivo de Ibagué in Ibagué, Colombia.
"I feel incredibly honored to represent Venezuela in the BJK Cup," Martinez said. "Playing for these colors has always been a dream, so being here is truly special for me. I'm also thankful to be part of an amazing team with such talented teammates and a great captain. I'm very grateful for the opportunity and excited to give my best!"
The Billie Jean King Cup – formerly known as the Federation Cup and Fed Cup – is the premier international team competition in women's tennis. Launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation, it is the world's largest annual women's international team sports competition by number of competing nations. A record 148 nations entered to compete across all levels of competition in the 2026 event.
The Venezuelan team will play in the Americas Zone Group 1 from April 8-11. Venezuela will compete in a pool with Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador in Group B.
"Very happy to see Sam chosen to play in the Billie Jean King Cup for Venezuela," WKU Women's Tennis Head Coach Greg Davis said. "I can't think of a bigger honor than playing for one's country."
Martinez, a native of La Guaira, Venezuela, completed her Lady Topper Tennis career in 2024 as the winningest doubles player in program history with 56 career doubles wins – a record that still stands. Martinez posted a combined 71 singles and doubles wins during her WKU career, which is the fourth-most combined singles and doubles wins in program history. She posted a program-best 17 doubles wins during the 2022 season, and also still ranks seventh on the program's single-season doubles wins list with 15 in 2024. She also posted 12 doubles wins each in the 2021 and 2023 seasons, which are top-20 single-season marks in program history.
A standout in the classroom as well, Martinez earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, Conference USA All-Academic Team and ITA Scholar-Athlete honors in 2023 and 2024.
Prior to her arrival at WKU, Martinez reached as high as No. 591 in the ITF ranking, as well as the No. 1 ranking in both the Venezuelan national and Vargas state rankings, and she earned a top-five spot in the country's rankings in the U16 and U18 divisions.
For all the latest on WKU Women's Tennis, follow @WKUTennis on X and Instagram.
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