Canada Billie Jean King Cup team

The Canada women's national tennis team represents Canada in the Billie Jean King Cup (previously known as the Federation Cup and the Fed Cup) tennis competition since 1963. They are overseen by Tennis Canada, the governing body of tennis in Canada.

Canada
CaptainHeidi El Tabakh
ITF ranking1 Rise (November 15, 2023)
Highest ITF ranking1 (November 15, 2023)
ColorsRed & White
First year1963
Years played55
Ties played (W–L)170 (101–69)
Years in
World Group
22 (13–20)
Titles1 (2023)
Most total winsAleksandra Wozniak (40–12)
Most singles winsAleksandra Wozniak (32–11)
Most doubles winsSonya Jeyaseelan (17–2)
Best doubles teamSonya Jeyaseelan /
Rene Simpson (6–1)
Sharon Fichman /
Marie-Ève Pelletier (6–3)
Most ties playedAleksandra Wozniak (36)
Most years playedJill Hetherington (14)

Canada is the reigning Billie Jean King Cup champion, winning the tournanent in 2023. They also reached the semifinals in 1988, and the quarterfinals on four occasions in 1964, 1967, 1987 and 2015. They have only missed one competition since the inaugural edition in 1963.[1]

History

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1963–1994: Appearances in the World Group quarterfinals and semifinals

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Canada played its first tie in 1963 when the team of Ann Barclay and Louise Brown was defeated 0–3 by Great Britain in World Group first round.[2] Canada and its team of Benita Senn, Vicki Berner and Louise Brown reached the World Group quarterfinals in 1964 with a 2–1 victory over Sweden in the second round, but was defeated 0–3 the next round by Australia.[3][4] In 1967, Canada made it again to the World Group quarterfinals after beating Switzerland 2–1 in the opening round, but was defeated this time 0–3 by Germany. Team members were Susan Butt, Vicki Berner and Faye Urban.[5][6]

In 1987, Canada reached the third World Group quarterfinal of its history. The team of Helen Kelesi, Carling Bassett-Seguso and Jill Hetherington defeated Netherlands 3–0 in the first round and the Soviet Union 2–1 in the second round.[7][8] They were however eliminated 1–2 by Czechoslovakia.[9] Canada had its better run to date when Rene Simpson, Helen Kelesi and Jill Hetherington helped the country reach the World Group semifinals in 1988. Canada beat South Korea 2–1 and Finland 3–0 in the first and second rounds respectively, and then Sweden 3–0 in the quarterfinals.[10][11][12] Their run was ended by Czechoslovakia with a score of 0–3.[13]

1995–2009: Moderate success

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In 1995, Canada had its second best result with the new World Group format when they made it to the World Group I playoffs after beating Italy 3–2 in the World Group II first round.[14] The squad of Jana Nejedly, Patricia Hy-Boulais, Jill Hetherington and Rene Simpson were then defeated 0–5 by Japan.[15]

In 2006, Canada earned its spot back in the World Group II when team members Aleksandra Wozniak, Stéphanie Dubois and Marie-Ève Pelletier beat Argentina 3–2 in the World Group II playoffs.[16] They were eliminated in the first round the next year by Israel 2–3.[17] Canada was not able to secure its place in the World Group II for the second straight year as the team was eliminated by Argentina in the World Group II playoffs later that year.[18]

2010–13: World Group II contender

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In 2010, Canada (team members were Aleksandra Wozniak, Marie-Ève Pelletier, Valérie Tétreault and Sharon Fichman) won the World Group II playoff over Argentina by the convincing score of 5–0 and regained the World Group II.[19]

In the World Group II first round in 2011, Rebecca Marino won the opening match over Aleksandra Krunić and Aleksandra Wozniak lost the second one to Bojana Jovanovski. The next day, Marino lost the third rubber to Jovanovski, but Wozniak tied the meeting thanks to a win over Ana Jovanović. Canada's doubles team of Sharon Fichman and Marie-Ève Pelletier was however eliminated by Jovanovski and Krunić to give the win 3–2 to Serbia.[20] Canada then had to play a playoff to stay in the World Group II for the second straight year, but lost a close tie to Slovenia 2–3.[21]

In 2013, Canada was promoted to the World Group II for the first time since 2011 when the team of Eugenie Bouchard, Gabriela Dabrowski, Sharon Fichman and Stéphanie Dubois beat Ukraine 3–2 in the World Group II playoffs.[22]

2014–15: Run to the World Group

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In the first round of the World Group II in 2014, Wozniak won the first rubber over Vesna Dolonc. Bouchard then gave Canada a 2–0 lead after the first day when she beat Jovana Jakšić. In the third rubber the next day, Bouchard defeated Dolonc and secured the victory for Canada. Canadians Dabrowski and Fichman lost the doubles match to Jakšić and Stojanović to end the tie with a 3–1 score in favour of Canada.[23] Canada next played a World Group I playoff in April against Slovakia, the first time since 2004. The first day, Wozniak upset No. 52 Jana Čepelová and Bouchard won her match over Kristína Kučová to end day one with a 2–0 lead for Canada. Bouchard then won her next match the following day over Čepelová to clinch the tie for the host country with an insurmountable 3–0 lead. The win means Canada has its place in the World Group I next year, the first time ever for the country since the introduction of the new World Group format in 1995. Slovaks Janette Husárová and Anna Karolína Schmiedlová beat the Canadian duo of Dabrowski and Fichman to close the meeting with a 3–1 score for Canada.[24]

Canada played their 2015 World Group first round against the reigning champions and number one seed the Czech Republic at home. The team, without its two best players Bouchard and Wozniak in its ranks, lost the four matches of the meeting.[25] Canada had to host Romania in a World Group playoff in April to stay in the World Group for the next year. Françoise Abanda surprised No. 33 Irina-Camelia Begu in the first match, her first Fed Cup win, but Bouchard was upset by Alexandra Dulgheru in the second to end day one in a 1–1 tie. Bouchard and Abanda both lost their matches the next day (to Mitu and Dulgheru respectively) to give the win to Romania. Dabrowski and Fichman defeated the Romanian doubles team of Mitu and Olaru to end the meeting with a 3–2 score in favour of Romania.[26]

2016 to present: Short relegation to the Americas Zone and return to the World Group II

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Canada next played a World Group II first round tie at home against Belarus in February 2016, but lost the meeting by a score of 2–3.[27] Canada then played a playoff in April 2016 to secure its place in the World Group II for the next year, but lost a fourth tie in a row with a score of 3–2 for Slovakia. They were relegated in the Americas Zone Group I for 2017, the first time since 2013.[28]

In February 2017, the team of Bianca Andreescu, Charlotte Robillard-Millette, Katherine Sebov and Carol Zhao defeated respectively Venezuela, Bolivia and Paraguay in the Round Robin, and Chile in the promotional playoff.[29] Canada next played in April 2017 at the World Group II play-offs against Kazakhstan. Françoise Abanda won her two singles matches over world No. 51 Yaroslava Shvedova and world No. 31 Yulia Putintseva. 16-year-old Bianca Andreescu lost her first rubber to Putintseva but defeated Shvedova in the second. The doubles team of Gabriela Dabrowski and Katherine Sebov lost the final rubber to Kamila Kerimbayeva and Galina Voskoboeva. Canada won the tie 3-2 and will be back in the World Group II in 2018.[30]

In 2018, the team of Bianca Andreescu, Gabriela Dabrowski, Katherine Sebov and Carol Zhao lost in the first round of the World Group II first round to Romania by the score of 1-3. Zhao and Andreescu lost the two singles matches the first day, respectively to Sorana Cîrstea and Irina-Camelia Begu. The second day, Sebov was defeated by Begu and Canada's doubles team of Dabrowski and Zhao won over Ana Bogdan and Raluca Olaru.[31] In the World Group II play-offs, Andreescu lost the first rubber in three sets to world No. 40 Lesia Tsurenko and Bouchard won her two singles matches over Kateryna Bondarenko and Tsurenko. Dabrowski lost the fourth singles match to Bondarenko, sending the tie to a decisive doubles match. The team of Andreescu and Dabrowski won over Bondarenko and Olga Savchuk to secure Canada's place in the World Group II for a second straight year.[32]

Current team

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Rankings as of November 6, 2023

Players representing Canada in 2023
Name Born First Last Ties Win/Loss Rankings
Year Tie Sin Dou Tot Sin Dou
Eugenie Bouchard (1994-02-26)February 26, 1994 2011 2023   Italy 10 12–4 3–0 15–4 273
Marina Stakusic (2004-11-27)November 27, 2004 2023 2023   Italy 1 3-1 0–0 3-1 258 449
Gabriela Dabrowski (1992-04-01)April 1, 1992 2013 2023   Italy 20 0–5 12–7 12–12 8
Leylah Annie Fernandez (2002-09-06)September 6, 2002 2019 2023   Italy 7 12–3 4–0 16–3 35 20
Rebecca Marino (1990-12-16)December 16, 1990 2011 2023   Italy 9 4–7 3–2 7–9 176 1039

Players

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Most ties played

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# Name CAN career Ties Tot W/L
1. Aleksandra Wozniak 2004–2016 36 40–12
2. Marie-Ève Pelletier 2002–2012 30 25–16
2. Jill Hetherington 1983–1996 30 16–20
4. Sharon Fichman 2005–2021 28 24–10
5. Sonya Jeyaseelan 1997–2003 24 29–7
5. Rene Simpson 1988–1998 24 20–16
6. Gabriela Dabrowski 2013–Present 23 15-12
6. Jana Nejedly 1995–2003 23 20–6
7. Stéphanie Dubois 2004–2013 22 23–11
8. Patricia Hy-Boulais 1991–1998 19 14–15

Most singles wins

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# Name CAN career Ties Sin W/L Dou W/L
1. Aleksandra Wozniak 2004–2016 36 32–11 8–1
2. Jana Nejedly 1995–2003 23 19–5 1–1
3. Eugenie Bouchard 2011–present 10 12–4 1–0
3. Sonya Jeyaseelan 1997–2003 24 12–5 17–2
3. Stéphanie Dubois 2004–2013 22 12–8 11–3
6. Helen Kelesi 1986–1994 17 11–5 4–5
7. Maureen Drake 2000–2003 15 10–3 6–1
7. Carling Bassett-Seguso 1982–1987 15 10–5 2–4
7. Marjorie Blackwood 1976–1982 18 10–7 6–4
7. Rene Simpson 1988–1998 24 10–7 10–9
7. Patricia Hy-Boulais 1991–1998 19 10–12 4–3

Most doubles wins

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# Name CAN career Ties Dou W/L Sin W/L
1. Sonya Jeyaseelan 1997–2003 24 17–2 12–5
2. Marie-Ève Pelletier 2002–2012 30 16–7 9–9
3. Gabriela Dabrowski 2013–Present 23 15-7 0-5
3. Sharon Fichman 2005–2021 28 15–7 9–3
4. Jill Hetherington 1983–1996 30 13–15 3–5
5. Stéphanie Dubois 2004–2013 22 11–3 12–8
6. Rene Simpson 1988–1998 24 10–9 10–7
7. Aleksandra Wozniak 2004–2019 36 8–1 32–11
8. Renata Kolbovic 1999–2001 8 7–1 1–0
8. Vanessa Webb 2000–2003 8 7–1 0–0
9. Maureen Drake 2000–2003 15 6–1 10–3
9. Marjorie Blackwood 1976–1982 18 6–4 10–7
9. Jane O'Hara 1969–1975 18 6–6 8–8
9. Hélène Pelletier 1981–1985 12 6–6 2–0
*Active players in bold, statistics as of September 9, 2019

Recent performances

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Here is the list of all match-ups since 1995, when the competition started being held in the current World Group format.

1990s

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2000s

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2010s

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Year Competition Date Surface Location Opponent Score Result
2010 Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 3 Feb Clay Lambaré (PAR)   Cuba 3–0 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 4 Feb Clay Lambaré (PAR)   Puerto Rico 3–0 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 5 Feb Clay Lambaré (PAR)   Brazil 2–1 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Final 6 Feb Clay Lambaré (PAR)   Colombia 2–0 Win
World Group II, Relegation Play-offs 24–25 Apr Carpet (i) Montreal (CAN)   Argentina 5–0 Win
2011 World Group II, 1st Round 5–6 Feb Hard (i) Novi Sad (SRB)   Serbia 2–3 Loss
World Group II, Relegation Play-offs 16–17 Apr Clay Koper (SLO)   Slovenia 2–3 Loss
2012 Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 1 Feb Clay Curitiba (BRA)   Peru 2–1 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 2 Feb Clay Curitiba (BRA)   Argentina 0–3 Loss
Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 3 Feb Clay Curitiba (BRA)   Bahamas 3–0 Win
Americas Zone Group I, 3rd To 4th Play-offs 4 Feb Clay Curitiba (BRA)   Paraguay 0–2 Loss
2013 Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 6 Feb Clay Medellín (COL)   Peru 3–0 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 7 Feb Clay Medellín (COL)   Venezuela 3–0 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 8 Feb Clay Medellín (COL)   Colombia 2–0 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Final 9 Feb Clay Medellín (COL)   Brazil 2–1 Win
World Group II, Relegation Play-offs 20–21 Apr Clay (i) Kyiv (UKR)   Ukraine 3–0 Win
2014 World Group II, 1st Round 8–9 Feb Hard (i) Montreal (CAN)   Serbia 3–1 Win
World Group, relegation play-offs 19–20 Apr Hard (i) Quebec City (CAN)   Slovakia 3–1 Win
2015 World Group, 1st Round 7–8 Feb Hard (i) Quebec City (CAN)   Czech Republic 0–4 Loss
World Group, relegation play-offs 18–19 Apr Hard (i) Montreal (CAN)   Romania 2–3 Loss
2016 World Group II, 1st Round 6–7 Feb Hard (i) Quebec City (CAN)   Belarus 2–3 Loss
World Group II, Relegation Play-offs 16–17 Apr Clay (i) Bratislava (SVK)   Slovakia 2–3 Loss
2017 Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 7 Feb Hard Metepec (MEX)   Venezuela 2–1 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 8 Feb Hard Metepec (MEX)   Bolivia 3–0 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Round Robin 9 Feb Hard Metepec (MEX)   Paraguay 3–0 Win
Americas Zone Group I, Final 11 Feb Hard Metepec (MEX)   Chile 2–0 Win
World Group II, Relegation Play-offs 22–23 Apr Hard (i) Montreal (CAN)   Kazakhstan 3–2 Win
2018 World Group II, 1st Round 10–11 Feb Hard (i) Cluj-Napoca (ROU)   Romania 1–3 Loss
World Group II, Relegation Play-offs 21–22 Apr Hard (i) Montreal (CAN)   Ukraine 3–2 Win
2019 World Group II, 1st Round 9–10 Feb Clay (i) Den Bosch (NED)   Netherlands 4–0 Win
World Group play-offs 20–21 Apr Clay (i) Prostějov (CZE)   Czech Republic 0–4 Loss

2020s

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Year Competition Date Surface Location Opponent Score Result
2020–21 Qualifying round 7–8 Feb Hard (i) Biel/Bienne (SUI)    Switzerland 0–4 Loss
Play-offs 16–17 Apr Hard (i) Kraljevo (SRB)   Serbia 4–0 Win
Finals (Group A) 1 Nov Hard (i) Prague (CZE)   France 2–1 Win
Finals (Group A) 2 Nov Hard (i) Prague (CZE)   Russia 0–3 Loss
2022 Qualifying round 15–16 Apr Hard (i) Vancouver (CAN)   Latvia 4–0 Win
Finals (Group A) 10 Nov Hard (i) Glasgow (SCO)   Italy 3–0 Win
Finals (Group A) 11 Nov Hard (i) Glasgow (SCO)    Switzerland 1–2 Loss
2023 Qualifying round 14–15 Apr Hard (i) Vancouver (CAN)   Belgium 3–2 Win
Finals (Group C) 8 Nov Hard (i) Seville (ESP)   Spain 3–0 Win
Finals (Group C) 9 Nov Hard (i) Seville (ESP)   Poland 3–0 Win
Finals (Semifinals) 11 Nov Hard (i) Seville (ESP)   Czech Republic 2–1 Win
Finals (Final) 12 Nov Hard (i) Seville (ESP)   Italy 2–0 Champion

Head-to-head record

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Country Record W% Hard Clay Grass Carpet
  Brazil 12–0 100% 1–0 10–0 1–0 0–0
  Uruguay 7–0 100% 1–0 6–0 0–0 0–0
  Mexico 7–1 88% 1–1 6–0 0–0 0–0
  Chile 6–0 100% 1–0 5–0 0–0 0–0
  Puerto Rico 5–1 83% 2–0 3–1 0–0 0–0
  Bahamas 4–0 100% 2–0 2–0 0–0 0–0
  Paraguay 4–2 67% 2–0 2–2 0–0 0–0
  Netherlands 4–3 57% 1–0 3–2 0–1 0–0
  Cuba 3–0 100% 0–0 3–0 0–0 0–0
  Denmark 3–0 100% 2–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
  Ecuador 3–0 100% 0–0 3–0 0–0 0–0
  Peru 3–0 100% 0–0 3–0 0–0 0–0
  Colombia 3–1 75% 0–0 3–1 0–0 0–0
  Sweden 3–1 75% 2–0 0–1 1–0 0–0
   Switzerland 3–2 60% 0–0 2–1 1–0 0–1
  Venezuela 3–2 60% 1–0 2–2 0–0 0–0
  Argentina 3–4 43% 2–0 0–4 0–0 1–0
  El Salvador 2–0 100% 0–0 2–0 0–0 0–0
  Norway 2–0 100% 0–0 2–0 0–0 0–0
  Ukraine 2–0 100% 1–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
  Italy 2–1 67% 0–0 1–1 1–0 0–0
  Bolivia 1–0 100% 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
  Bulgaria 1–0 100% 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
  Chinese Taipei 1–0 100% 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
  Finland 1–0 100% 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
  Greece 1–0 100% 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
Country Record W% Hard Clay Grass Carpet
  Ireland 1–0 100% 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–0
  Kazakhstan 1–0 100% 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
  Poland 1–0 100% 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
  South Korea 1–0 100% 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0
  Israel 1–1 50% 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–1
  South Africa 1–1 50% 0–0 1–1 0–0 0–0
  Hungary 1–2 33% 0–1 1–1 0–0 0–0
  Russia 1–2 33% 1–1 0–1 0–0 0–0
  Serbia 1–2 33% 1–1 0–1 0–0 0–0
  Slovakia 1–2 33% 1–0 0–2 0–0 0–0
  France 1–3 25% 0–1 1–2 0–0 0–0
  Japan 1–3 25% 1–0 0–1 0–1 0–1
  Spain 1–3 25% 1–1 0–2 0–0 0–0
  Belarus 0–1 0% 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–0
  New Zealand 0–1 0% 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0
  Slovenia 0–1 0% 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0
  United States 0–1 0% 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–0
  Austria 0–2 0% 0–0 0–2 0–0 0–0
  Indonesia 0–2 0% 0–1 0–0 0–1 0–0
  Belgium 0–3 0% 0–0 0–3 0–0 0–0
  Great Britain 0–3 0% 0–0 0–2 0–1 0–0
  Romania 0–3 0% 0–2 0–1 0–0 0–0
  Australia 0–4 0% 0–1 0–2 0–1 0–0
  Germany 0–5 0% 0–1 0–3 0–1 0–0
  Czech Republic 0–7 0% 0–5 0–2 0–0 0–0
Overall win–loss 102–70 59% 29–17 67–43 5–7 1–3
*Previous champions in bold. Teams that have been ranked No. 1 in italics. Statistics as of September 9, 2019

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Fed Cup profile - Canada". FedCup.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  2. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Great Britain". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  3. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Sweden". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  4. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Australia". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  5. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Switzerland". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  6. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Germany". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  7. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Netherlands". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  8. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Soviet Union". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  9. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Czechoslovakia". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  10. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. South Korea". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  11. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Finland". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  12. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Sweden". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  13. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Czechoslovakia". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  14. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Italy". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  15. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Japan". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  16. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Argentina". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  17. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Israel". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  18. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Argentina". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  19. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Argentina". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  20. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Serbia". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  21. ^ "Tie details - Canada vs. Slovenia". FedCup.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  22. ^ "Canada defeats Ukraine in Fed Cup playoff tie". CBC Sports. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  23. ^ "Eugenie Bouchard propels Canada to Fed Cup playoffs". CBC Sports. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  24. ^ "Eugenie Bouchard, Canada clinch Fed Cup playoff tie". CBC Sports. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  25. ^ "Canada swept by Czechs in Fed Cup World Group". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  26. ^ "Eugenie Bouchard loses, Canada falls to Romania at Fed Cup". CBC Sports. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  27. ^ "Canada defeated by Belarus 3-2 in Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group II first round". Tennis Canada. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  28. ^ "Cibulkova ends Canadian comeback". FedCup.com. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  29. ^ "Canada advances to the Fed Cup World Group II playoffs". Tennis Canada. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  30. ^ "Fed Cup: Andreescu wraps up the tie for Canada". Tennis Canada. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  31. ^ "Canada falls 3-1 to Romania in Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group II first round play". Tennis Canada. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  32. ^ "Tennis: Canada defeats Ukraine at Fed Cup match in Montreal". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
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