Top-level women's tennis coming to Vancouver this April

Feb 10 2022, 9:39 pm

Tennis Canada has chosen Vancouver to host its upcoming Billie Jean King Cup qualifying matches.

Canada will play Latvia in a best-of-five series at the Pacific Coliseum on April 15 and 16, with the winner qualifying for the 2022 Finals in November.

Tickets go on sale February 25. You can sign up on the Tennis Canada website for updates.

Previously known as the Fed Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup is the top international team competition in women’s tennis.

Canada is the ninth-ranked country in Billie Jean King Cup competition, while Latvia is No. 14.

Rosters won’t be announced until April, but Tennis Canada would love if its big names play for their country, as they’ve done in the past.

At just 19 years old, Leylah Fernandez has already established herself as Canada’s best player. She’s the highest-ranked Canadian in the world at No. 19.

Fans would love to see Bianca Andreescu in action, though the 21-year-old has struggled to stay healthy since winning the US Open in 2019. Her ranking has slipped to No. 46. Andreescu skipped the Australian Open in January but made the round of 16 at the US Open in September.

Genie Bouchard has also battled injuries of late. The 27-year-old hasn’t played since March and is now ranked No. 333.

The event should be a homecoming for Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino. The 31-year-old is ranked No. 162 in the world.

“I am thrilled at the prospect of playing a Billie Jean King Cup tie in my home province of British Columbia, which I have not yet experienced in my career,” said Marino. “After two particularly difficult years due to the pandemic, this event will be a unifier for the entire tennis community and will also be a great opportunity for new fans to discover our sport. Tennis is a fast-growing sport in BC and I’m proud that our province was chosen to showcase this tie.”

Latvia has two singles players ranked in the top 100, in Jelena Ostapenko (25) and Anastasija Sevastova (79).

The competition at the Coliseum includes two singles matches on Friday, April 15, followed by two singles and one doubles match on Saturday.

Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski is the No. 8 ranked doubles player in the world. Sharon Fichman is ranked No. 23.

“We are very happy to be coming home to Canada, where we haven’t played since 2018,” said Heidi El Tabakh, captain of Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup Team. “It goes without saying that we will be following the epidemiological situation in British Columbia, as we continue to hope to play in front of an important home crowd, which will definitely give us a significant edge. One thing is certain: we are gearing up for a tough battle against the Latvian squad and remain focused on our mission to qualify for the 2022 Finals.”

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