Clara Kuang (9) | STAFF REPORTER
For the first time in history, Canada women’s tennis wins the Billie Jean King Cup. On November 12, Leylah Fernandez carried Team Canada to triumph after defeating Jasmine Paolini of Italy with a 6-2, 6-3 win.
The Billie Jean King Cup was established in 1963 for the purpose of celebrating the International Tennis Federation’s 50th anniversary. Nowadays, the Billie Jean King Cup is a women’s premier international tennis championships tournament.
This year, the annual event took place in Seville, Spain, lasting for 6 days from the 7th to the 12th of November.
Over the course of the week, Fernandez sweeped victory across all five of her matches, becoming a leading force in advancing Canada to the finals. In her finals match, Fernandez starts off strong as she takes the lead in the first set. Fernandez maintains composure despite coming close with the opponent.
“She played at an amazing level today,” Paolini compliments. “She was always pushing me behind the line, she was always taking the time to take the winner.”
With a 3-2 lead in the second set, Fernandez held on to her serve and converted a breakpoint to win the game. Finally, Leylah Fernandez, coming back with a recent US Open victory, seals the game against Italian player Jasmine Paolini in 1 hour 39 minutes.
Furthermore, Marina Stakusic, 18 year-old Canadian tennis player, defeats Martina Travisan of Italy in the finals in straight sets of 7-5, 6-3. Throughout the week, Stakusic, ranked No. 258, claims victory against Rebecca Masarova of Spain and Magdalena French of Poland in round-robin, and falls to Barbara Krejcikova.
Afterwards, Stakusic exclaims that, “It’s been an incredible week, and I’m super happy I got to spend it with these women.”
Marina Stakusic and Leylah Fernandez claimed the championships in the Billie Jean King Cup, marking Canada’s first victory in the internationally-recognized world cup. The outstanding performances of these women sets a promising future for Canadian tennis.
