The Australian Open concluded last weekend. Sofia Kenin won her first Grand Slam title after she defeated Garbine Muguruza in a thrilling final. With the first Grand Slam of the season in the books, the players will now focus on the upcoming Fed Cup qualifiers slated for 7th-8th February. The playoff matches will determine which countries qualify for the tournament final. The Canadian team will have Bianca Andreescu, Gabriela Dabrowski, Eugenie Bouchard, and Annie Fernandez. The match will take place at the Swiss Tennis Arena in Biel, Switzerland.
Hungary to host this year’s Fed Cup Finals
The Fed Cup Finals will take place on 14th-19th April in Budapest, Hungary. The country has already qualified for the tournament finals together with last year’s finalists, France and Australia. The Czech Republic has also qualified as a wildcard team. 16 nations will compete against each other as they vie for the eight remaining spots in the tournament. One of the most anticipated matchups in next week’s qualifiers is Switzerland against Canada. The two teams have named some talented players for the qualifiers. Belinda Bencic, Jil Teichmann, Viktorija Golubic, Stefanie Voegele, and Timea Bacsinszky will represent Switzerland.
Andreescu could play if she is fit
The Canadian team will be hoping that Andreescu is fit to play in the qualifiers. The reigning US Open champion has yet to play a competitive match since she suffered a knee injury at the WTA Finals last year. Andreescu has skipped the opening tournaments of the season, with her latest being the Australian Open. The 19-year-old will travel with the Canadian team to Switzerland but it is unclear if she will play in the qualifiers. Her coach, Sylvain Bruneau has revealed that she will only play if she is fully fit. In a recent interview, he said that they would use the tournament to gauge her fitness. “We look at it like maybe it’s a way to start again. Perhaps, it’s a training week where she hits with the girls, she trains hard there, and she does much fitness, so we’ll see.”
Andreescu had a great 2019 season. She became the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam title after her US Open victory over Serena Williams. Bianca also won two additional WTA titles at the Indian Wells Open and the Rogers Cup. The world No. 6 also impressed in her appearance at the Fed Cup last year, winning both of her matches to lead Canada to a 4-0 playoff victory over the Netherlands.
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Bianca Vanessa Andreescu’s ranking and performance in 2020
Ranked world no.6, Bianca Vanessa played her last match on the 30th of October 2019 when she had to retire when playing against Karolina Pliskova in the round robin and the scoreline was 6-3 .
Leylah Annie Fernandez’s ranking and performance in 2020
Ranked no.185 (career-high), the Canadian played her last match on the 21st of January when she was defeated by Lauren Davis 6-4 6-2 in the 1st round in Australian Open.
Bianca Vanessa Andreescu and Leylah Annie Fernandez have never played each other.
Eugenie Bouchard’s ranking and performance in 2020
Now ranked no.267, Bouchard played her last match on the 27th of January when she surrendered to Alexa Glatch 6-1 6-2 in the 1st round of the Newport Beach.
Gabriela Dabrowski’s ranking and performance in 2020
Now ranked no.448, Gabriela played her last match on the 12th of January when she was overcome by Darya Kasatkina 6-2 6-2 in the qualifications in Adelaide.
Eugenie Bouchard and Gabriela Dabrowski have never played each other.
