[ad_1]
As has change into a sample, Crew Canada offered by Sobeys has needed to wait over a decade to resume hostilities with Crew Belgium on the Billie Jean King Cup.
It has all the time been greater than ten years between conferences for these two nations, that means the circumstances and faces are dramatically totally different each time. Historical past might as effectively be thrown out the window.
This time, the Belgians do have a number of gamers who’ve some expertise clashing with Canada on this competitors. However will probably be an uphill process for the guests who’re lacking their largest stars.
Forward of this weekend’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifying tie in Vancouver, get to know the ladies of Crew Belgium standing between Canada and a spot on the Finals in November.
Final Time We Met
It has been 14 years since Canada and Belgium crossed paths within the Billie Jean King Cup/Fed Cup. Their most up-to-date assembly was on Belgian soil, actually because the tie was performed on clay, in Hasselt in 2009.
Learn additionally: Captain El Tabakh Confident in Team Canada
In that assembly, Belgium edged Canada within the fifth and deciding doubles rubber for a 3-2 win.
Yanina Wickmayer, who is part of the 2023 squad in Vancouver, was the hero of that tie for the Belgians as she secured all three factors with a pair of singles wins and the decisive doubles victory. For the doubles, she teamed up with Kirsten Flipkens, who can be nonetheless a member of the Belgian crew this weekend.
Wickmayer and Flipkens are the one two gamers for both crew who have been on court docket the final time Canada and Belgium confronted off.
General, Belgium has received all three earlier conferences with Canada in Billie Jean King Cup/Fed Cup competitors. Nonetheless, this would be the first time Canada will get to play at residence within the rivalry and will probably be the primary time the 2 nations face off on a tough court docket, with all three earlier conferences having been contested on clay.
Learn additionally: Canada Looks to Repeat in Vancouver
When Canada and Belgium renew their rivalry this weekend, solely one of many 4 Belgian gamers ranked contained in the Prime 100 in singles is making the journey to Vancouver. The highest two Belgians within the rankings, No. 29 Elise Mertens and No. 76 Maryna Zanevska, can be absent.
Ysaline Bonaventure
Bonaventure returns to the Belgian Billie Jean King Cup crew for her fifteenth tie. She boasts an total document of 9-8, with a 5-2 document in singles. Nonetheless, she went 0-2 in final yr’s Finals with a singles and doubles loss.
At No. 86 within the WTA rankings, Bonaventure is the highest-ranked Belgian singles participant this weekend and is predicted to be their No. 1.
The 28-year-old began the yr with a bang, qualifying and reaching the semifinals of her first event of 2023 in Auckland, defeating two Canadians who she may face this weekend on the way in which. However since then, she has struggled, solely reaching one quarter-final and arrives in Vancouver on a three-match shedding streak.
Greet Minnen
At 25, Minnen is the youngest member of the Belgian crew. Her solely earlier look within the Billie Jean King Cup got here on the 2021 Finals, the place she posted a 2-1 document by splitting her singles matches and scoring a doubles win.
Learn additionally: Marino Encourages Next Generation at Girls. Set. Match. Tournament
Minnen is at the moment ranked No. 171 in singles and has not performed a important draw match on the WTA Tour in 2023. Nonetheless, she has two singles titles on the ITF circuit.
Like most of her present countrywomen, Minnen has seen extra success in doubles, the place she is at the moment ranked No. 63 and has received three titles in 2023 on the ITF Tour, all in a row as she is on a 12-match doubles successful streak with teammate Yanina Wickmayer.
Yanina Wickmayer
Wickmayer can be contesting her 21st Billie Jean King Cup/Fed Cup tie this weekend, together with her second in opposition to Canada. She made her debut all the way in which again in 2007.
Nonetheless, it has been some time since Wickmayer represented her nation. Her final look got here in 2019 when she mustered simply three video games in a World Group Play-Off singles match in opposition to Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain.
General, Wickmayer boasts a formidable 26-13 document total in Billie Jean King Cup competitors, together with 25-11 indoors and 15-9 on arduous courts.
Whereas the veteran has not had a lot singles success in 2023, her greatest outcomes being a pair of runner-up performances on the ITF Tour, she is an ideal 16-0 in doubles with 4 titles. General, she has reached six consecutive doubles finals courting again to final October, together with one on the WTA 250 occasion in Seoul.
Learn additionally: Sebov Looks to Continue Rise at Billie Jean King Cup
Her lone defeat throughout that run got here on Canadian soil in Saguenay, Quebec.
Kirsten Flipkens
Flipkens is the longest-serving member of the Belgian crew, having made her debut in 2003 and has participated in 32 ties. She has an total document of 18-33, with the vast majority of these matches coming in singles.
The 37-year-old holds the very best rating on Crew Belgium with a doubles rating of No. 43. She represented her nation yearly since making her debut with the exceptions of 2014 and the COVID-cancelled 2020.
Final yr on the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, Flipkens performed doubles in each of Belgium’s group stage matches, successful her nation’s lone level of the whole group stage in opposition to Slovakia and shedding to Australia.
Flipkens is the lone participant on the Belgian squad with a WTA Tour title in 2023, opening the yr with a doubles win in Hobart. Since then, she has misplaced six of seven matches. She has not performed any singles this yr.
The draw for this weekend’s tie will happen on Thursday.
[ad_2]
Source link
