Miele Canadian Fed Cup Team Captain Sylvain Bruneau has announced the names of the four players selected defend their country’s colours in the upcoming Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group II playoff tie against Argentina set to be held on April 24 and 25 at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal. The winner of the tie will earn a spot in World Group II for 2011.

Sharon Fichman (Toronto, ON), Marie-Ève Pelletier (Repentigny, QC), Valérie Tétreault (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) and Aleksandra Wozniak (Blainville, QC) have been chosen to represent Canada.

“With so many Canadian players excelling on the international tennis scene, the selection for this tie was very difficult,” declared Bruneau. “We have assembled a well-balanced team that will be strong for both singles and doubles. We are confident that the players will be ready to face the challenge awaiting us here is Montreal. The girls are thrilled to be able to count on the support of our hometown fans as they attempt to earn a spot in World Group II.”   

Fichman, 19, has earned thirteen victories and one loss since she first represented Canada in Fed Cup play in 2005. She sits at No. 122 in the world and showcased her repertoire of skills at the Fed Cup Americas zonal event in Paraguay in February, winning all of her matches in singles and doubles alongside Pelletier.

A seven-year veteran of the team, Pelletier is the top-ranked Canadian on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles rankings at No. 61.  

Tétreault has been named to the Miele Canadian Fed Cup team on five occasions, but has yet to play a match. She has enjoyed a successful start to her 2010 campaign and currently sits at No. 115 on the world rankings. Highlights of her season include a second round showing at the WTA event in Memphis after qualifying for the main draw and she also played her way through qualifying to earn a spot in the main draw at the Australian Open in January where she fell to none other than Kim Clijsters in the opening round.  

In Paraguay, Wozniak (World No. 44) set a new Canadian Fed Cup record for most wins (30), eclipsing the previous all-time mark set by Sonya Jeyaseelan who had 29. In 2009, Wozniak also re-wrote the Canadian record books for achieving the most singles victories in Fed Cup play.   

Last month, Canada took home top honours at the Americas Zone Group I round robin event for the second consecutive year, defeating Colombia in the final to solidify their place in a World Group II playoff tie. The Miele Canadian Fed Cup squad was crowned champion of the competition that also included teams from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Paraguay and Puerto Rico.   

Victoria Bosio (No. 126 on the world junior rankings), Jorgelina Cravero (No. 272), Paula Ormaechea (No. 419) and Aranza Salut (No. 317) will be the representatives for the squad from Argentina which will led by captain Ricardo Rivera. The Argentines fell 4-1 to Estonia in their opening round tie in World Group II in February and will be looking to keep their place in the group next week in Montreal.   

Tickets still available

Excellent tickets are still available for this prestigious international team competition for the low price of $25 (plus taxes and service charges) A weekend pass to attend both days of the event is also available for just $40. Tickets can be purchased through the Admission network online at www.admission.com or by phone at 514-790-1245.