Armed with a well-rounded lineup that has loads of star energy, Canadian captain Sylvain Bruneau is aiming excessive at this week’s Billie Jean King Cup.
“We’re able to every little thing actually,” he stated Monday on a pre-tournament video name from Glasgow.
The 12-team finals bracket options 4 teams at Emirates Arena. In Group A, Canada will open against Italy on Thursday and face Switzerland on Friday.
Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu will doubtless function the singles weapons for a Canadian aspect that features doubles star Gabriela Dabrowski, Rebecca Marino and Carol Zhao.
“It’s a really proficient group with loads of expertise,” Bruneau stated. “They love to symbolize their nation, all of them, which is a good asset. They deal with these moments very well.”
All ties within the finals are best-of-three matchups with two singles matches adopted by a doubles match.
Group winners will advance to Saturday’s semifinals and the ultimate is scheduled for Sunday.
Fernandez, from Laval, Que., is the highest-ranked Canadian in singles at No. 40. The 2021 U.S. Open finalist stated the indoor hardcourt floor fits the Canadian aspect.
“We all grew up on indoor hardcourts, so I feel it is going to be benefit for us,” she stated. “We’re simply going to go on the market and have enjoyable. It’s going to be good.”
Andreescu drops to forty sixth in rankings
Fernandez reached the quarter-finals at the French Open this 12 months however then missed over two months of motion after struggling a stress fracture in her foot at Roland Garros.
We have, I feel, most likely the very best lineup we have ever had for me as a captain.— Canada’s Sylvain Bruneau
Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., gained the U.S. Open in 2019 and reached a career-high No. 4 singles rating that 12 months. She has since slipped to No. 46.
“Last 12 months I did not really feel like myself mainly,” she stated. “And this 12 months I form of got here again and I’m coping with the losses higher and even the wins. I positively do not like having the [No.] 46 beside my title so I positively need to crack the highest 10 hopefully within the subsequent six months.”
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked sixth on the planet in doubles.
“We have, I feel, most likely the very best lineup we have ever had for me as a captain,” Bruneau stated.
Switzerland is led by Thirteenth-ranked Belinda Bencic — the Tokyo Olympic champion — and No. 35 Jill Teichmann. The Twenty seventh-ranked Martina Trevisan leads an Italian aspect with 4 gamers within the high 70.
Switzerland and Italy will meet within the Group A opener on Wednesday. Switzerland at the moment holds the No. 5 place within the nation rankings — a whisker forward of No. 6 Canada — whereas Italy is twelfth.
“Just a few factors are going to make the distinction and hopefully we’ll be prepared for the event after they come round,” stated Swiss captain Heinz Guenthardt.
There will probably be a brand new champion at the occasion, beforehand often called the Federation Cup, after Russia was suspended from competitors.
Bencic predicts Swiss title win
The ban gave Australia a qualification spot because the highest-ranked 2021 semifinalist. Slovakia, its unique opponent within the qualifying spherical, additionally acquired a bye because of this.
Switzerland certified after reaching final 12 months’s last and Belgium acquired a walkover win since Belarus is suspended from worldwide group play.
“We will come again and win this title,” Bencic stated after falling to Russia in 2021.
Canada upset 2020 champion France final 12 months earlier than falling to Russia. Andreescu and Fernandez weren’t within the lineup.
Canada booked its spot within the 2022 finals with a 4-0 win over Latvia final April in Vancouver. Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Spain and the U.S. additionally gained qualifying rounds.
Great Britain has a spot because the host nation.
Bruneau has captained the Canadian aspect a number of instances previously. He’s filling on this week for Heidi el Tabakh, who’s quickly unavailable due to private causes.
Bruneau should submit his last lineup one hour earlier than the beginning of match play.
“I feel we’re going to be very aggressive,” he stated. “We do have the assumption we are able to do very well. But we all know that we have now good competitors. So, one tie at a time.”
Marino, from Vancouver, is ranked 67th in singles. Zhao, from Vaughan, Ont., holds the No. 169 place.
Canada has by no means reached the ultimate at this match. Canada made it to the semifinals in 1988 earlier than dropping to Czechoslovakia.