Tennis Canada today confirmed that Victoria Mboko (Burlington, ON) and Marina Stakusic (Mississauga, ON) have withdrawn from the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifiers. Ariana Arseneault (Richmond Hill, ON) has been added to the roster and will join Bianca Andreescu (Mississauga, ON), Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON), and Kayla Cross (London, ON).
“I am very sorry to have to withdraw from the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup tie in Kazakhstan,” said Mboko. “In recent days, I have experienced recurring dental pain and will need to remove my four wisdom teeth in the coming days. Given that, I am sadly unable to travel to Kazakhstan and will therefore miss this tie. There is no greater privilege than playing for and representing Canada – I wish the team the best of luck next week and I am very much looking forward to joining the team again later this year.”
Stakusic is withdrawing due to a back injury.
“I’m really disappointed to have to pull out of the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers, but I felt this was the best decision I could make for the team given that my body is not at 100 per cent,” said Stakusic. “Representing Team Canada is an honour that I don’t take for granted, and the weeks spent with the team are some of my favourites of the year. I’ll be watching and cheering them on from afar, and I look forward to my next opportunity to wear the maple leaf.”
The Qualifiers will take place at the Beeline Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan (clay, indoors), where Canada is set to play the Kazakh team in a best-of-five format. The winning nation will advance to the 2026 Finals in September, while the other team will compete in the November Play-offs. Action begins on Friday, April 10 at 2 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), and concludes on Saturday April 11 at 1 p.m. local time (4 a.m. ET).
Photo: Sarah-Jade Champagne
