Canada’s women are Billie Jean King Cup champions for the first time, thanks to Leylah Fernandez’s straight-sets victory (6-2, 6-3) over Italy’s Jasmine Paolini on Sunday at the international team tennis tournament in Seville, Spain.
Two hours earlier, Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., opened the best-of-three tie with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Martina Travisan.
Fernandez, who hails from Laval, Que., also helped Canada advance to the final, prevailing 7-5, 7-6 (3) with doubles partner Gabriela Dabrowski over Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in Saturday’s semifinals.
Stakusic, the virtually unknown BJK Cup rookie, grabbed headlines early in the tournament. She was selected by Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh over the more experienced Rebecca Marino (ranked 176th) and Eugenie Bouchard (273rd) in the team’s first match Wednesday and beat 65th-ranked Rebeka Masarova 6-3, 6-1.
WATCH | Stakusic begins Sunday’s final with straight-sets win over Trevisan:
Featured VideoThe 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ont. downed Italy’s Martina Trevisan in straight sets (7-5, 6-3) to give Canada a 1-0 lead in their first Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance.
A day later, Stakusic upset No. 63 Magdalena Frech of Poland 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 to send Canada to the semifinals for the first time in 35 years.
More to come.