It’s history for Canada on the international stage once again.
The squad won its first ever Billie Jean King Cup title in women’s tennis, defeating Italy in the final to capture the prized trophy from Seville, Spain.
Buoyed by the competitive spirit of Leylah Annie Fernandez, and 18-year-old Marina Stakusic’s sensational debut, Canada are again world champions in the sport, less than a year after emerging victorious in the men’s Davis Cup event.
Canada is now one of 13 nations to win the Billie Jean King Cup.
Here are four takeaways from the win:
Leylah is the star of the show
She is a spirited competitor and was the very best in the game this week.
Leylah Annie Fernandez set the tone all tournament long for Canada, delivering on the biggest stages and in must-win situations.
After confident straight set wins in Group C over Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain and Magda Linette of Poland, Fernandez produced her very best tennis against the elite Czechian squad in the semifinals.
Squaring off against Wimbledon champion and world no. 7 Marketa Vondrousova in an all-left-handed matchup, Fernandez stayed poised and determined in pressure moments.
She fought through a gritty opening service game, turning aside a remarkable six break point opportunities to get on the board first, and quickly seize control to win the opening set 6-2.
Vondrousova promptly rallied, using her counter punching skillset and strong forehand wing to force a third, before Leylah again gained the upper hand.
Serving for the match at 5-3, she stared down three break points before closing out a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 over Vondrousova, her first top 10 win since 2021.
With no time to rest, she and Gaby Dabrowski then took the court in the deciding doubles rubber and stunned seven-time grand slam winners Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova to book a place in the final.
The championship matchup against Italy was far more straightforward.
Spotted a 1-0 lead by her teammate Marina Stakusic, Fernandez took the court in the second singles tilt against Jasmine Paolini brewing with confidence.
The clinching match proved decisive throughout, as Fernandez ripped 23 winners to just 16 unforced errors in the victory.
From there, the celebration was on.
Fernandez has had a remarkable run of tennis this fall.
She won her first title of 2023 at the Hong Kong Open and has won 12 of her last 13 singles matches since early October.
Canadian fans will remember the run she delivered at the US Open two years ago, reaching the finals of Flushing Meadows.
Now with a game that is even more versatile, with Leylah’s great hands at net, she again looks like an elite-level player capable of contending for grand slams.
Big things could be in store for 2024.
Marina has her moment
Marina Stakusic never imagined she would get this opportunity.
Certainly not this year.
Stakusic was out of action with an injury from January until July, only returning to competition in the summertime.
She didn’t skip a beat, winning two ITF titles in September, and getting the call from captain Heidi El Tabakh to represent the squad.
“This was something I wanted to be a part of since I started play tennis,” said Stakusic on the Match Point Canada podcast last month.
A third title at the Tevlin Challenger in Toronto only further solidified Stakusic’s view that she indeed belonged.
And did she ever.
El Tabakh entrusted Stakusic in their opening Group C tie against Spain on Wednesday, and the gutsy call paid off.
Against the home Spanish squad, Stakusic defeated an error prone Rebeka Masarova 6-3, 6-1 in her Billie Jean King Cup debut, playing calm, patient and consistent tennis.
She brought her level even higher against Magdalena Frech of Poland, winning a 2-hour 49-minute clash, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
It was a fearless performance from Stakusic, as she struck 36 winners from her dangerous forehand wing and 52 in total.
She would cap her event with the first top 50 win of her career, beating former French Open semi-finalist Martina Trevisan 7-5, 6-3.
The 18-year-old just recently cracked the top 300 of the WTA rankings, though undoubtedly looks well prepared for the pro circuit.
This week will be the perfect platform to build off for her 2024 season.
“This has been the best of week of my life,” beamed Stakusic after the victory.
Next, she’ll have her eyes on qualifying for the Australian Open and has set the goal of getting inside the top 100.
Genie rolls back the clock
So many Canadian athletes from years past are certainly part of this win.
One of the most successful, who returned to Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in five years, is Genie Bouchard.
The Montreal native became the first singles grand slam finalist in Canadian tennis history with her magical run at Wimbledon nine years ago, and while she’s not competing as often these days, her achievements years ago are etched in stone.
Bouchard is not only a former world No. 5 player, she’s also proudly represented Canada at the Billie Jean King Cup on numerous occasions, playing in 12 ties.
She twice took the court this past week, winning a pair of doubles matches alongside Gaby Dabrowski and was fully embracing the moment.
Genie and fellow compatriot Milos Raonic were instrumental in the growth and boom of Canadian tennis with their successes.
While her WTA calendar is not as busy as these days, Bouchard can relish in being part of this trophy, and seeing the new faces like Marina Stakusic emerge on the world stage today.
It’s also a huge trophy for veteran Rebecca Marino.
The 32-year-old is one of the more inspirational stories in tennis – from taking a five-year hiatus from the sport in 2013 due to mental health issues, to returning inside the top 75 of the rankings last season, Marino has experienced the highs and lows of one of the most challenging professional sports in the world.
It’s the first team title of her career.
Why Canada can win again
There’s no getting around it.
Canada has established itself as a tennis nation.
They are officially world champions in women’s tennis, have a grand slam singles champion in Bianca Andreescu, and team member Gaby Dabrowski won the US Open crown in doubles this summer.
The titles and accolades continue to pile up for this country in the sport of tennis and Canada has youth on its side.
Leylah Fernandez is still just 21 years of age and her game continues to grow.
Bianca Andreescu, who unfortunately was unable to compete at the Billie Jean King Cup this year, is set to return to begin 2024 and still has an electric, fiery game that can challenge and beat the best in the world.
Dabrowski is a world class doubles player and still has plenty of strong years ahead.
Meanwhile, the men’s team broke through last season with history at the Davis Cup and will try to defend their title in two weeks time.
With a strong youth movement emerging with players like Marina Stakusic, Victoria Mboko, Kayla Cross and more, the women’s game is in a strong place.
Felix Auger-Aliassime will lead the men’s group into Malaga Nov. 21, joined by Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil, Gabriel Diallo and Alexis Galarneau.
Could another world championship be on the horizon?
