Photo: Martin Sidorjak
On Tuesday, Tennis Canada announced that Bianca Andreescu (Mississauga, ON), Leylah Annie Fernandez (Laval, QC), Rebecca Marino (Vancouver, BC), and Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON) have been selected to represent Team Canada presented by Sobeys at the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifiers in Vancouver, British Columbia. This year’s Qualifiers will take place on April 14-15 at the Pacific Coliseum, with Canada set to face off against Belgium.
“For the second year in a row, we are really excited to play a Billie Jean King Cup tie on home soil, in Vancouver,” said Heidi El Tabakh, who will return as Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup team Captain for the tie having missed the 2022 Finals due to the birth of her first child. “In Leylah, Bianca, Gabriela, and Rebecca, our roster has a perfect mix of high quality and experience. We look forward to welcoming our opponents, Belgium, to Canada and expect them to provide a tough test. We are, however, confident we have what it takes to secure the win we need to qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the third year running.”
World No. 36 Andreescu, who will play her first home Billie Jean King Cup tie since 2018, has climbed nine WTA Tour ranking places since the turn of the year. She reached the semi-finals of the Thailand Open in February and has tallied impressive straight-set victories over Top 50 players Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic and Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. The 2019 US Open and National Bank Open presented by Rogers champion will be playing in her 11th Billie Jean King Cup tie and currently holds an impressive record of 11 wins and four losses.
Also representing the Canadian team is world No. 49 Leylah Annie Fernandez. The 20-year-old from Laval has been playing a mix of singles and doubles in 2023 and already has a finals appearance under her belt, reaching the championship match at the ASB Classic alongside American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Fernandez, who reached the US Open final in 2021, has demonstrated the ability to rise to the occasion in Billie Jean King Cup action, winning eight of her 11 contests. This will be her seventh appearance at the prestigious event.
Marino, who has moved back inside the Top 100 for the first time since 2012, is in inspired form. The proud Vancouverite has played in six main draws this season, successfully getting through the qualifying rounds on two separate occasions. In February, at the Abierto GNP Seguros, she clinched her 300th victory on the WTA Tour. Marino, with seven wins and eight losses at the Billie Jean King Cup, will be gearing up to participate in her ninth tie, and the second in her hometown, Vancouver.
In addition to having Canada’s top-ranked singles players, the team will also be with their most lethal doubles player. Two-time mixed doubles Grand Slam champion Dabrowski, currently ranked No. 6 in doubles, has only played in three events since the start of the year, with her best result coming at the Australian Open, advancing to the third-round. The Ottawa native has been a stalwart of the Canadian team for years (11 wins and 12 losses) and will enter the tie against Belgium on a three-match win streak in Billie Jean King Cup action.
Canada and Belgium will be facing off for the fourth time at the Billie Jean King Cup – the Belgians currently lead their head-to-head 3-0. The winner of the tie will qualify for the 2023 Finals in November.
SECURE YOUR SEAT FOR THE TIE
Tickets for the showdown between Canada and Belgium at the Pacific Coliseum on April 14 and 15 are available to purchase here. Secure your seat now and cheer on Team Canada next month in Vancouver.
