Canada qualifies for the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Leylah Annie Fernandez (Si. Robi, Wikimedia Commons)

Canada has qualified for the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals. On Saturday in qualifying from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada won all four matches against Latvia.

Leylah Annie Fernandez of Montreal, Quebec had a phenomenal weekend after defeating Darja Semenistaja 6-1, 6-2 on Friday, and Daniela Vismane on Saturday, 6-2, 6-1. In the other singles matchup, Rebecca Marino of Toronto, Ontario defeated Vismane 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. In women’s doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa, Ontario, and Carol Zhao of Richmond Hill, Ontario defeated Semenistaja and Vismane 6-1, 6-3.

The Latvians did not send their best players to Vancouver for qualifying. Missing were 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and four-time WTA Tour champion and former world number 11 Anastasija Sevastova.

Just like the Latvians in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying this weekend, Canada did not send its best team to the 2021 Billie Jean King Cup this past November in Prague. Despite a shocking upset win over France after impressive wins by Francoise Abanda of Montreal, Quebec and a doubles win by Dabrowski and Marino, Canada was steamrolled by Russia in their other tie. Canada definitely missed Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu, who both decided not to participate. Among the teams who also joined Canada in qualifying for the 2022 Bille Jean King Cup were Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, the United States, Kazakhstan, Spain and Poland.

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