With the end of the Miami Open a couple weeks ago, we move on to the next part of the season on clay courts, and the women focus their attention on the the pinnacle of international competition at the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup).
⬇️ Here’s all you need to know about tennis action going on this week. ⬇️
Must-watch this week
Team Canada at the Billie Jean King Cup
With the current Billie Jean King Cup format, Canada must win this week’s tie against Serbia in order to advance to the Qualifying stage and compete for a place in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The Canadian players squaring off against Serbia this week are Leylah Fernandez, Rebecca Marino, Sharon Fichman, and Carol Zhao.
Here are the details:
- Currently trailing 2-1 in their head-to-head against Serbia, Team Canada has won their last tie back in 2013 when the Cup was still divided in Regional, World Group II and World Group.
- Serbia will be looking to advance to the Qualifying round since 2011, when they won the stage and made it to the Billie Jean King Cup final the following year.
- The players will know when and whom are they playing on Thursday, April 15th.
- The tie is in a best-of-five-matches format: the team who wins three matches first makes it through to the Qualifying round. All matches will be played this coming Friday and Saturday, April 16th and 17th, respectively.
Monte Carlo ATP Masters 1000 kick off the clay season for Félix Auger-Aliassime
Now with Toni Nadal in his coaching team, Auger Aliassime will make his third appearance at the Monte Carlo Masters, the first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 of the year. The Canadian has a losing 1-2 record there, losing in the first round in 2018 and in the second round in 2019. His first-round match will be against No. 16 seeded Christian Garin.
The two have met twice on court, and split their head-to-head 1-1. With both matchups taking place on clay courts, Garin won the first one in three sets, while Auger-Aliassime was the victor in straight sets in their most recent encounter.
In case you missed it
Last week was brimming with anticipation as the Billie Jean King Cup teams that will play in this week’s ties were finally announced. Here’s what you need to know about the women who are playing for Team Canada this week:
- Leylah Fernandez: the top ranked Canadian in the team, she recently just won her first ever WTA title in Monterrey earlier this year. In her previous Billie Jean Cup tie, she defeated Top 10 player Belinda Bencic in straight sets.
- Rebecca Marino: the 30 year old has participated in three previous ties, including one against Serbia back in 2011.
- Sharon Fichman: another 30-year-old veteran, Fichman boasts a 24-10 record in 28 Billie Jean King Cup ties.
- Carol Zhao: the Ontarian has played for Team Canada in two previous ties, including one in 2019 alongside this year’s teammate Rebecca Marino.
Read more about the team annoucement.
Under the radar
Meanwhile, in the ATP Challenger tour, three Canadians take on the courts this week:
- Steven Diez is the No. 8 seed at the Split Open II in Croatia.
- Brayden Schnur and Peter Polansky play at the Orlando Open.
You can find more information on Canadian action in tournaments every week here.
