Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the group tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The Twenty sixth-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian within the high 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles record. The 2023 U.S. Open girls’s doubles champion received blended doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime on the current Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout efficiency final 12 months, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy within the remaining. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino can be again and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the primary time since 2022.
“Successful the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and never solely that, however I really feel like we made a press release to the world concerning the power of this nation in relation to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh stated Monday in a launch. “As soon as once more, we’ve a really sturdy group this 12 months with Bianca becoming a member of Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an especially highly effective group that’s greater than able to going all the way in which.
“On the finish of the day, our aim is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our greatest to deliver the identical stage of effort and pleasure that we had in final 12 months’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title on the competitors, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which acquired an computerized berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Nice Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Area.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia additionally acquired first-round byes. The match, which continues by way of Nov. 20, additionally consists of host Spain, Slovakia, the US, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 within the newest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to develop into the primary group since Czechia in 2016 to efficiently defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga may even host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Closing 8. The Canadian males certified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Nice Britain in Manchester.
