Leylah Fernandez went undefeated in singles play last year to help Canada hoist the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time.
CBC Sports' daily newsletter previews the premier event in international women's team tennis, where Canada is looking to repeat its surprising victory last year. Canada is once again in the hunt for the two biggest titles in international team tennis as the women's Billie Jean King Cup Finals get underway this week in Malaga, Spain, followed by the men's Davis Cup Finals next week at the same indoor venue.
Like the Davis Cup, which has been around since 1900, the Billie Jean King Cup bills itself as "the World Cup of tennis." A set of playoff matchups late last year determined the 16 teams for the qualifying round in April, and the winners of those eight matchups advanced to this week's 12-team Finals. They're joined by defending champion Canada, runner-up Italy, host Spain and the wild card Czech Republic, who all got to skip qualifying.
Canada is defending the Cup with mostly the same roster that won it last year in Seville, Spain. Captain Heidi El Tabakh returns along with singles ace Leylah Fernandez, doubles star Gabriela Dabrowski, surprising 19-year-old Marina Stakusic and veteran Rebecca Marino.
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