Canada aims to win again at Billie Jean King Cup – Winnipeg Free Press

Longtime Canadian women’s tennis captain Heidi El Tabakh could sense that Leylah Fernandez would be a special player from a young age.

The Canadian remembers playing her first Fed Cup match against Czech star Marketa Vondrousova in 2019, when she was just 16 years old.

“Vondrousova was on her way up and Leylah lost someone close to her,” El Tabakh recalled. “I remember her breaking down and crying afterwards. As captain, I was very pleased with his effort. But it showed me what kind of person he is and what he believes he can do at 16 years old.

“I knew at that moment that this girl was different. He had a great future ahead of him.”

Fernandez, who will reach the US Open final two years later, avenged his defeat in last year’s semi-final of the tournament, now known as the Billie Jean King Cup.

Canada won the women’s team competition for the first time, beating Italy 2-0 after beating the Czech Republic 2-1.

Fernandez, who went 5-0 in Seville, Spain last year, returned to support the Canadian team in the 12-team playdowns in Malaga. Joining the squad are Marina Stakusic from Mississauga, Ontario, Rebecca Marino from Vancouver and Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa in doubles.

The competition, along with the men’s team event Davis Cup, is held on the indoor hard court of the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena.

The Canadian women will have a first-round bye and will face England or Germany in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

“It feels great to walk in and be recognized as the defending champions,” El Tabakh said. “Obviously we come with confidence, but we also know that defending the championship requires hard work, a lot of effort and courage.”

Fernandez, from Laval, Que., is the No. 31-ranked Canadian singles player. Marino is ranked 102nd and Stakusic is ranked 127th.

World No. 132 Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., was originally named to the squad but withdrew earlier this month, citing rest and recovery after an injury-plagued season.

Dabrowski is third in the world in doubles. She recently won the WTA Finals crown with New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe.

“I know we are a very difficult team to beat, but at the same time we are facing the best in the world,” said El Tabakh. “It’s definitely going to be a tough challenge, but we’re looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, the Canadian men will play their first match against Germany on Wednesday. The Davis Cup Finals is an eight-team competition called the Final 8, which runs until November 24.

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Gabriel Diallo of Montreal will likely be assigned single duty.

Montreal native Felix Auger-Aliassime, who helped lead the 2022 squad to Canada’s only Davis Cup title, withdrew from the team last month to focus on his philanthropic work.

Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., replaced him on a roster that also included Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, BC, and Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que. Pospisil and Shapovalov are expected to take doubles duty in the opening best-of-three draw.

Shapovalov moved up 22 places to 56th in the singles rankings after winning the ATP 250 title in Belgrade this month. Diallo, the 6-foot-10 world No. 86, reached his first ATP final at a 500-level tournament in Almaty, Kazakhstan, last month.

“This is really good momentum for us,” Canadian men’s captain Frank Dancevic said. “It sends the message to the other team that we have hot players.

“So I think it’s very positive for us. And our couples are always strong.”