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It is going to be all on the road when Canada faces Switzerland on Friday for a spot within the semi-finals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow.
The match-up is loaded with incentives on either side. From the Canadian perspective, there’s the truth that its group misplaced 3-1 in Biel, Switzerland in February, 2020. That was a Qualifier and disappointing for Canada with newly-crowned US Open champion Bianca Andreescu unable to play with a knee damage and Genie Bouchard hurting her wrist in her closing apply session and having to withdraw.
That left it as much as a 18-year-old, little-known on the time, Leylah Annie Fernandez and doubles stalwart Gabriela Dabrowski for singles. Whereas Fernandez obtained the guests a shock win over Swiss No. 1 Belinda Bencic within the third match, Canada was crushed 3-1 with out with the ability to subject its finest group.
The Swiss motivation heading into Friday’s closing round-robin match-up – each groups scored 3-0 victories over Italy of their opening round-robin ties – dates again to one thing that occurred within the BJK Cup Finals championship match-up towards Russia in Prague a yr in the past.
After Russia received the primary match, Bencic was slated to play Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova within the second match, along with her having a 5-2 (and 4 of the earlier 5 matches) head-to-head benefit over the Russian. However simply 40 minutes earlier than Bencic was scheduled to face Pavlyuchenoka, Russian captain Igor Andreev substituted Liudmila Samsonova for Pavlyuchenkova in a doubtful, however not unlawful, transfer.
Samsonova had a 2-0 head-to-head benefit over Bencic, with each wins coming that very yr. Samsonova wound up profitable the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to clinch Russia’s fifth title within the competitors.
Swiss captain Heinz Gunthardt and his gamers had been furious concerning the Russians’ highly-questionable, last-minute maneuver and have been seething ever since – hoping to avenge that defeat with a victory at this yr’s occasion.
After her win over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini on Wednesday, Bencic declared, “we’re ready for Group Canada now.”
It must be an intriguing match-up beginning with the No. 2 singles gamers. After a powerful opening-day 7-6(3), 6-3 victory over Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Thursday, Andreescu will likely be a formidable opponent for the Swiss No. 2 participant, who would logically be Jil Teichmann. The WTA No. 35 wanted to avoid wasting a match level towards Cocciaretto on Wednesday in a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(5) victory.
Andreescu has a 2-1 document towards Teichmann – together with wins of their two most up-to-date conferences – 6-2, 6-4 in Guadalajara final month and 6-1, 6-3 in Acapulco in 2019.
The opposite possibility for Switzerland can be No. 77-ranked Victorija Golubic. The 30-year-old and Andresscu have solely performed as soon as with the 22-year-old Canadian scoring a tricky 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 victory within the first spherical of the 2021 US Open.
Requested concerning the possibilities that Golubic could be substituted for Teichmann, Andreescu stated, “possibly. I actually can’t say. Both means, I’m going to play my finest tennis. Hopefully give 100 per cent and – simply play my coronary heart out it doesn’t matter what.”
In regards to the attainable change, captain Sylvain Bruneau stated, “there’s an opportunity. I do know Bianca and Golubic performed a extremely shut match on the US Open in 2021, a extremely powerful match within the first spherical. I’m unsure which card he (captain Heinz Gunthardt) goes to play. Whoever it’s, it’s going to be a great opponent.”
As for the Bencic – Fernandez confrontation of the No. 1 singles gamers, the 20-year-old from Montreal leads their head-to-head 2-1. She received that Fed Cup (now BJK Cup) match in Biel in 2020 and their third-round assembly at this yr’s French Open 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. Bencic then obtained some revenge final month within the opening spherical in Guadalajara 7-5, 6-7(10), 6-3.
Bencic received her first 2022 BJK Cup Finals match 7-5, 6-3 over No. 59-ranked Paolini on Wednesday however Fernandez bettered that Thursday with an immaculate 6-0, 6-0 steamrolling of No. 28 Martina Trevisan in a mere 41 minutes.
It was basically whole annihilation from the primary ball, with Fernandez winding up profitable 49 of 64 factors. There was a way that she wished revenge for her 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3 loss within the Roland Garros quarter-finals in Could to the 29-year-old Italian.
From the early moving into that match, Fernandez was bothered by what turned out to be a grade-three stress fracture on the highest of her proper foot. There’s no telling the place her present rating of No. 40 can be had she reached the semi-finals (or higher) in Paris after which not missed all of June and July with the foot damage earlier than returning on the Nationwide Financial institution Open pres in Toronto in early August.
One of many fiercest opponents in girls’s tennis, there was a robust sense on Thursday in Courtroom 1 on the Emirates Area that retribution was on her thoughts.
“The sport plan,” stated Italian captain Tathiana Garbine about Trevisan versus Fernandez, “was to lose slightly little bit of the area (behind the baseline) however give a bit extra spin like she performed at Roland Garros. However it’s not simple as a result of we all know very nicely it’s not a clay court docket and there’s not sufficient time to do the sport we wished to growth. It wasn’t simple however that was the sport plan. She was not in a position to do it as a result of our opponent (Fernandez) performed nice – a fully nice match.”
After probably the perfect efficiency of her younger profession, Fernandez, when requested to explain how she felt taking part in such unimaginable tennis, stated, “I believe I felt like simply type of elevated. I wasn’t actually centered on something that was going round me. I used to be very at peace with myself mentally and emotionally. After which after I used to be simply having fun with my time on court docket.”
It was an exceptional show by Fernandez and sends a message to Bencic for his or her seemingly match-up of No. 1s within the second match on Friday. About dealing with Bencic, Fernandez described her strategy in very straight-forward phrases, saying, “impose my sport, observe the sport plan and never too get annoyed – be stable mentally and emotionally.”
Whereas Andreescu’s rating with Cocciaretto wasn’t as decisive as Fernandez towards Trevisan, after saving a set level trailing 5-2 within the opening set, she was clearly the higher participant – letting free along with her superior selection and shot-making skill.
“I type of like taking part in once I’m down,” Andreescu defined about how she stepped it up after saving the set level, “so I raised my stage one way or the other. There’s only a change in my mind, and I simply change into extra aggressive.”
If Canada and Switzerland cut up the singles on Friday, it will seem that Fernandez will group with Dabrowski for the doubles – particularly after the Canadian pair mixed to roll to a convincing 6-1, 6-1 victory on Thursday over Italians Paolini and No. 56-ranked Lucia Bronzetti.
Summing up an virtually excellent day, captain Bruneau stated, “at nice stage from the three gamers who had been on the court docket immediately. They performed super-good tennis. The group assist, the group spirit is de facto excessive. We’re going to maintain making an attempt to do this tomorrow.”
NOTE: The Canada vs Switzerland tie will likely be on Sportsnet One and TVA Sports activities in Canada at 5:50 a.m. ET on Friday.
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