Mission complete, history written: Canada is champion of the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) for the first time in the 60-year history of the tournament by virtue of a 2-0 victory over Italy in final, Sunday in Seville, Spain.
The Canadians could hardly have done better. Marina Stakusic first defeated Martina Trevisan in two sets of 7-5, 6-3. A few hours later, Leylah Annie Fernandez did the same thing against Jasmine Paolini, in two sets of 6-2 and 6-3. The doubles match was therefore not necessary.
Fernandez, Stakusic, Gabriela Dabrowski, Eugenie Bouchard and Rebecca Marino therefore became world champions under the watchful eye of Billie Jean King.
After scoring the final point, Fernandez threw her racket in the air before being joined by her teammates and her entire team. “Canada! Canada! Canada! “, they chanted while dancing. Each player then wrapped themselves in a Canadian flag.
“It’s incredible, I’m extremely proud to have been able to represent Canada on the biggest stage,” Fernandez said at the tournament microphone. To do it in front of Billie Jean, it means the world to me, to us. We’re going to celebrate tonight and have fun! »
“I don’t even know what to say,” said captain Heidi El Tabakh. I’m just so proud of this team. These girls are incredible. It’s a dream come true. It’s surreal, I’m so happy for everyone! »
Canada owes this cup in large part to Leylah Annie Fernandez, who played impeccably throughout the tournament. On Saturday, she defeated world No. 7 Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals, then teamed with Gabriela Dabrowski to defeat Kateřina Siniaková and Barbora Krejčíková, a seven-time Grand Slam champion duo.
On Sunday, Fernandez seemed much less nervous than Paolini at the start of the match, which perhaps allowed him to quickly take the initiative with a break in the first game.
Confident and authoritative, the Laval resident had a solution to everything. She excelled both with her cross shots and with those in parallel. In the first set, we saw her put pressure on the net and show great patience when necessary.
In the second set, Paolini often seemed shaken, even a little discouraged. Fernandez was never destabilized in this match, even if her first balls were often lacking. She also won 58% of her second balls.
Fernandez has now had the upper hand in all of his eight matches with Canada in 2023; a fact worthy of mention for someone who experienced difficult times at the start of the season. She is currently showing the level of play that allowed her to reach the final of the US Open two years ago.
Fernandez isn’t the only one who has been brilliant on the Spanish court; Marina Stakusic was just as much, notably to defeat Martina Trevisan on Sunday.
Stakusic, the great discovery of the week in the Canadian clan, was impeccable defensively, explosive, fast and enduring. She was everywhere. If she was nervous to be the first to step onto the court in this final, it didn’t show in the least.
In a first round that could be cut with scissors into three parts, the 18-year-old athlete demonstrated impressive concentration. After leading 4-1, she saw the Italian come from behind to take a 5-4 lead. Stakusic, patient, responded by slowly but surely leading her opponent towards unforced errors. She didn’t force any play.
In the second set, she had to work hard to end the duel; at 5-2, she missed four match points before losing the point. Serving thereafter, she finally put the final nail in Trevisan’s coffin.
Stakusic, 258th in the world when she arrived at the Billie Jean King Cup, has reason to be proud of the performances she delivered throughout the tournament. These brought it to the forefront.
“I’m just so happy and honored to be able to play this week,” she said after her victory. It was, honestly, the best experience of my life. I wasn’t expecting that when I arrived here this week, but I’m so happy with the result. »
