Canada's Leylah Fernandez returns to Belgium's Ysaline Bonaventure during a Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers singles match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, April 15, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER – Canada is heading back to the Billie Jean King Cup finals after downing Belgium 3-2 in a qualifier Saturday.
Leylah Fernandez and Gabriela Dabrowski secured Canada’s spot with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Kirsten Flipkens and Greet Minnen in doubles action.
Earlier on Saturday, Minnen topped Toronto’s Katherine Sebov 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and Fernandez of Laval, Que., rallied for a gritty 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over Ysaline Bonaventure.
It’s the first time in four meetings that Canada has bested Belgium in the women’s World Cup of tennis competition.
The Vancouver qualifier is one of nine being held around the globe this week, with winners advancing to November’s finals in a yet-to-be announced location.
Canada breezed through the first four points of Saturday’s one-hour, four-minute doubles match, taking a 1-0 lead and did not turn back. The two sides rallied several times, with the home nation consistently finding ways to come out on top.
Dabrowski showed why she sits seventh in the world women’s doubles rankings midway through the first set, deftly tapping a backhanded shot over the net to end an extended back-and-forth and put Canada up 5-1.
Playing her third match in two days, Fernandez looked anything but tired, darting across the court to scoop up balls and blast them back at the Belgians using her powerful forehand.
Canada pulled away once again early in the second with a series of shots Flipkens and Minnens simply couldn’t corral.
The decisive point came when Dabrowski sent a serve into Belgian territory where Minnen got a racket on it, but sent the return well out of bounds.
The Canadians celebrated with a hugs for each other and their teammates, who draped flags over their shoulders. The duo then took to centre court to salute the crowd.
Fernandez – No. 50 in the WTA’s singles rankings – cruised to a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Yanina Wickmayer on Friday, but ran into trouble early in her singles match against Bonaventure.
The 86th-ranked Belgian, who captured a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino on Friday, took a 4-1 lead in the first set as Fernandez fought to find her serve, chalking up four double faults in the first five games.
As the match progressed, the 20-year-old Canadian began mixing up her shots and luring her opponent to the net, forcing errors. She cut the deficit to 4-3 before Bonaventure took the set.
The players repeatedly traded points across a tightly contested second, with neither stealing the momentum.
Fernandez took a 6-5 lead thanks to a challenge that ruled Bonaventure’s shot just out of play. The Canadian crowd roared as she returned to the court from a changeover and Fernandez responded by breaking Bonaventure in the deciding game.
The former U.S. Open finalist continued to dominate in the third jumping out to a 3-0 cushion.
Bonaventure scored a break point late in the set to make it 5-2, but Fernandez responded with a break of her own to clinch the two-hour, 26-minute match.
Marino was initially set to battle Wickmayer in the second singles match of the day, but both players were swapped just before the match.
Both fought ailments on Friday, with Marino saying she was dealing with nausea while Wickmayer rolled her ankle and said the injury made serving painful.
Sebov was a late addition to Canada’s roster, replacing Canada’s top-ranked player Bianca Andreescu after she tore two tendons in her ankle at the Miami Open on March 27.
Andreescu, the world No. 27, sat courtside in Vancouver, cheering on her teammates.
The 24-year-old Sebov climbed to a career-high 136th spot in the rankings last week after a loss to Swiss powerhouse Belinda Bencic at the Charleston Open on April 5.
Minnen – ranked 171st in the world – took control of Saturday’s match early, going up 5-1 as her opponent struggled with consistency and fought to place her shots inside the baseline. The Canadian had 19 unforced errors across the first set.
Sebov left the court for an extended break between sets then jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the second. She broke Minnen to go up 4-2 and fired seven backhand winners to take the second.
The third saw Sebov take a 2-0 advantage before Minnen won four straight games. The Belgian sealed the win with a big forehand winner down the sideline.
Last year, Canada swept Latvia in a Vancouver qualifier and advanced to the finals in Glasgow, where they topped Italy before falling to Switzerland in group play. Switzerland went on to win the world title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2023.
