Three Canadian teens have been selected to play at the 2017 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Americas, Tennis Canada announced on Tuesday.
Francoise Abanda (Montreal, Que.), Bianca Vanessa Andreescu (Mississauga, Ont.) and Charlotte Robillard-Millette (Blainville, Que.) will compete in the Zone Group I event in Metepec, Mexico.
Canada was relegated to the Americas Zone Group I after losses to Belarus and Slovakia in the World Group II stage last season.
Selecting a young team to compete at the Fed Cup is nothing new for team captain Sylvain Bruneau.
“We will rely on our next generation of players for these ties,” Bruneau said. “Eugenie Bouchard and Aleksandra Wozniak both made their Fed Cup debuts at a young age and the experience helped them in their development. I think it will be the same for Bianca, Charlotte, and Françoise, who will be the leader of the group. I have confidence in them.”
At 19 years of age, Abanda is the most experienced of the three, making her fifth Fed Cup appearance. Now ranked No. 176 in the world, Abanda has previously beaten the three players ranked higher than her in the event, including a 2016 win against world No. 33 Irina-Camelia Begu.
Joining Abanda are 18-year-old Robillard-Millette, competing in her third Fed Cup, and Andreescu, who will be making her debut.
Canada will look to earn a spot back up in the World Group stages. The event gets underway Feb. 6.