Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu earn wins in the Billie Jean King Cup. Australia advances

LONDON (AP) — Grand Slam title winners Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu all won in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying Friday.

Osaka hit 15 aces and put Japan a step away from reaching the BJK Cup Finals with a 6-2, 7-6 (5) win over Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva. It was the four-time Grand Slam champion's first match in the team competition since February 2020.

Osaka, back on tour after becoming a mother last July, saved all three break points she faced and compiled a 31-16 edge in winners. Her win on an indoor hard court in Tokyo followed Nao Hibino's 6-1, 6-0 victory over Anna Danilina and gave Japan a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five-match qualifying round.

Two other singles matches and one in doubles are scheduled for Saturday.

A total of 16 nations are involved in qualifiers Friday and Saturday, with the winners advancing to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Seville, Spain, in November. Those eight teams will join defending champion Canada, 2023 runner-up Italy, host Spain and wild-card selection Czech Republic in the 12-country Finals field.

The first team to move out of the qualifying round was Australia, which eliminated Mexico in Brisbane early Saturday, when Taylah Preston easily won 6-1, 6-1 over Marcela Zacarias to make the overall score 3-0. With 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur serving as Australia’s captain for the first time, Arina Rodionova beat Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, and Daria Saville defeated Zacarias 6-1, 6-0 for the hosts on an outdoor hard court Friday. Australia, the runner-up twice in the last five years, is seeking its first title since 1974.

In other action, No. 1-ranked Swiatek and Poland went ahead 2-0 at Switzerland, 2021 U.S. Open champion Raducanu helped Britain finish Day 1 tied 1-1 at France, the United States led Belgium 2-0, Ukraine won both matches against Romania, Germany was ahead of host Brazil 2-0, host Australia took a 2-0 lead over Mexico, and Slovakia was up 2-0 against visiting Slovenia.

In Orlando, on an outdoor hard court, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro both turned around deficits to beat 19-year-old Belgian opponents as the Americans got off to a 2-0 start in Lindsay Davenport's debut as the U.S. captain. Pegula escaped with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory against Sofia Costoulas, before Navarro topped Hanne Vandewinkel 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In Amelia Island, Florida — where Ukraine chose to play these matches because of its war with Russia back home — Elina Svitolina was a 6-3, 7-5 winner over Romania's Jaqueline Adina Cristian on an outdoor clay court, and Lesia Tsurenko beat Ana Bogdan 3-6, 6-2, 6-0.

In Biel, Switzerland, Swiatek — who has won three championships at the French Open and one at the U.S. Open — broke Simona Waltert five times on an indoor hard court to win 6-3, 6-1, before Magdalena Frech came back to beat Celine Naef 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-3.

In Le Portel, France, Raducanu was a set and a break down but reeled off 12 of the next 15 games to get past Caroline Garcia 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on an indoor clay court. That pulled Britain even after France's Diane Parry defeated Katie Boulter 6-2, 6-0.

In Sao Paulo, Germany's Laura Siegemund defeated Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4, 6-2, and Tatjana Maria got past Laura Pigossi 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on an indoor clay court.

In Bratislava on an indoor hard court, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova topped Ela Nala Milic 6-4, 6-3, and Viktoria Hruncakova won 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 against Veronika Erjaveck.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Switzerland's Celine Naef, center, is embraced by teammates Jil Teichmann, left, and Victoria Golubic , after a Billie Jean King Cup qualification round tennis match against Poland's Magdalena Frech at the Jan Group Arena in Biel, Switzerland, Friday, April 12, 2024. (Peter Schneider/Keystone via AP)

Poland's Iga Swiatek, right, is congratulated by Switzerland's Simona Waltert after their Billie Jean King Cup qualification round tennis match at the Jan Group Arena in Biel, Switzerland, Friday, April 12, 2024. (Peter Schneider/Keystone via AP)

Giuliana Olmos of Mexico plays a forehand to Arina Rodionova of Australia during their Billie Jean King Cup tennis match in Brisbane, Friday, April 12, 2024. (Darren England/AAP Image via AP)

Marcela Zacarias of Mexico plays during her match against Daria Saville of Australia during the Billie Jean King Cup at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Friday, April 12, 2024. (Darren England/AAP Image via AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Mitch Marsh will captain Australia at the Twenty20 World Cup next month, leading a national cricket squad that is missing ex-skipper Steve Smith and up-and-coming batter Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Marsh, who is recovering from an injured hamstring, was confirmed as T20 captain on Wednesday after sharing the duties on an interim basis since the retirement last year of Aaron Finch.

Smith’s omission for the tournament starting June 1 in the United States and Caribbean means it’ll be the first time since 2012 he’s missed a World Cup in the limited-overs formats.

The 34-year-old Smith has signed for the Washington Freedom for the second season of Major League Cricket in the United States which starts July 4, four days after the T20 World Cup concludes.

Fraser-McGurk surged into selection calculations on the back of his 233.33 strike rate in the Indian Premier League, but it wasn't enough to replace Travis Head or the veteran David Warner at the global tournament.

Allrounder Marsh will likely bat at No. 3 and Glenn Maxwell at No. 4 in the lineup, with Tim David likely to fill the finisher role further down the order.

“The batting options available allow a tailored approach to each venue and opponent,” Australia's chief selector George Bailey said. "Steve Smith, Matt Short, Jason Behrendorff, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett were all part of long conversations, along with several others, including Jake Fraser-McGurk who is yet to play T20 International cricket but continues to impress and is developing rapidly.”

Bailey said Fraser-McGurk's form had been “great of late.”

“But the way we’re functioning at the top of the order with the three guys we’ve had there has been really strong as well," he said. "Ultimately, in that squad of 15, we’re looking to get that balance we want in for each game with different opponents, different venues and different surfaces.”

Matt Wade and Josh Inglis were picked as wicketkeepers and Ashton Agar returns to the squad as a second spinning option to Adam Zampa.

The regular pace bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will have support from Nathan Ellis as well as allrounders Cameron Green, Marsh and Marcus Stoinis.

Australia, the 2021 T20 World Cup champions, will open against Oman at Barbados on June 5. The Australians are the defending champions in the ICC's World Test Championship and in the 50-over World Cup.

Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (captain), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matt Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Delhi Capitals' Jake Fraser-McGurk bats during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)