On Monday, Tennis Canada announced that Bianca Andreescu (Mississauga, ON), Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON), Leylah Annie Fernandez (Laval, QC), Rebecca Marino (Vancouver, BC), and Marina Stakusic (Mississauga, ON) were selected to represent Team Canada at the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals in Malaga, Spain. The Finals run from November 13 to 20, with Canada set to take on the winner of Great Britain and Germany in the quarter-finals on November 17.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” said Team Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca [Andreescu] joining Leylah [Fernandez], Gaby [Dabrowski], Rebecca [Marino], and Marina [Stakusic], making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way. At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s Finals.”
Andreescu, 24, has now received her ninth team nomination at the Billie Jean King Cup. Due to injury, the former world No. 4 has spent much of her 2024 season away from the courts and is currently ranked 167th in the world. Despite her shortened season, Andreescu managed to reach the third round of two Grand Slam events – at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon – and even reached the final of the Libema Open, a WTA 250 tournament in the Netherlands. The Mississauga native last played at the Billie Jean King Cup in 2022 and currently holds a record of 11 wins and four losses in the competition.
Ottawa’s Dabrowski, world No. 4 in doubles, will be representing her country at the event for the 20th time. Since the start of the season, the 2023 US Open champion has reached five finals, most notably at Wimbledon and the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. She made Canadian history this summer by winning Canada’s first mixed doubles medal at the Olympic Games, capturing bronze alongside Félix Auger-Aliassime. She also won a WTA 250 title at the Rothesay Open with partner Erin Routliffe of New Zealand. Dabrowski will enter this year’s Finals on a seven-match winning streak in Billie Jean King Cup competition.
Fernandez, who is Canada’s top-ranked singles player (No. 26) and second in doubles (No. 42), is enjoying a great 2024 campaign. She reached two WTA 1000 quarter-finals, in Doha, Qatar, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Other highlights include a finals appearance at the Rothesay International Eastbourne, a WTA 500 event, as well as a second-place finish in Cincinnati in doubles, with partner Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan. The 22-year-old gears up to represent Canada for the ninth time, with a record of 12 wins (eight in a row) and three losses at the event.
For the 12th time in her career, Marino, world No. 134, has been named to Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup team. The 33-year-old Vancouverite is in great form, having won two ITF W100 events this season, the biggest titles of her career. Marino currently holds a record of 7-9 at the Billie Jean King Cup, recording her last victory in her hometown at the 2022 Qualifier tie in Vancouver against Latvia.
Rounding out the team is 19-year-old Stakusic. She made her Billie Jean King Cup debut last November, winning three of her four matches. Currently ranked No. 128 in the world, Stakusic has taken a big step forward this year, qualifying for her first Grand Slam main draw at Wimbledon, and winning main-draw matches at WTA 500 and 1000 tournaments, notably reaching the quarter-finals of the Guadalajara Open in Mexico last week.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title. Their road to the title begins with a quarter-final match at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena against either Germany or Great Britain.
For more information on the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, click here.
