Billie Jean King Cup: Canada won the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in history after defeating Italy in the final.
Canada claimed a prize of 2.4 million U.S. dollars for their impressive displays this week in the most important women’s tennis team tournament.
18-year-old Marina Stakusic got the Canadians off to a perfect start as she overcame Martina Trevisan 7-5, 6-3 in the opening singles match, reports Xinhua.
Trevisan had been in incredible form in Seville, arriving unbeaten to the final, but Stakusic showed the team tournaments are very different from individual ones as she overcame her ranking of No. 258 in the world to secure a famous victory.
The Canadians beat the Czech Republic on Saturday to reach their first-ever Billie Jean King Cup final, while the Italians were in the final for the first time since 2013.
Canada had the memory of a 3-0 win over Italy in the 2022 group stage, and in Leylah Fernandez, they had a player who went into Sunday’s tie after winning 15 of her last 16 matches in the competition.
It was Fernandez who decided the final to make Canada the 13th team to win the tournament, as she turned on the style to defeat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-3, giving her rival few options in a match that lasted an hour and 39 minutes.