(Seville) Laval’s Leylah Fernandez defeated one of the best players in the world in singles before combining her efforts with Gabriela Dabrowski in doubles, and Canada qualified for the ultimate duel of the Billie Jean Cup Finals King of women’s tennis for the first time in its history, Saturday in Seville, Spain.

Fernandez and Dabrowski allowed Canada to write a new chapter in its tennis history by snatching a victory in two sets of 7-5, 7-6 (3), in a little over an hour, against the Czech tandem formed by Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.

In the grand final on Sunday, Canada will face Italy, who beat Slovenia on Saturday, following victories by Martina Trevisan and Jasmine Paolini in singles.

It was on Fernandez’s serve that Canada secured the decisive point when Siniakova sent a forehand out of bounds, the Canadian duo’s first chance to end the duel.

Fernandez had a perfect week with this doubles triumph and his three singles victories, including the one acquired earlier in the day on Saturday which was crucial.

The 21-year-old from Laval allowed Canada to stay alive during its duel against the Czech Republic by defeating Marketa Vondrousova 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Fernandez defeated Vondrousova, the seventh-ranked player in the world, despite eight double faults – she had only five in her previous two singles matches this week – and despite being the victim of a break of serve from the first game of the decisive round.

Fernandez, ranked 35^e at the WTA, however reacted with panache, collecting a break in the next game and another in 4^e game.

She also showed remarkable grit in the ninth game of the third set when she erased three break points to finally close the duel after two hours and two minutes of action.

For Fernandez, it was a fifth career victory against a player ranked in the top 10.

In the very first match of the day, Krejcikova allowed her country to take a 1-0 lead in this semi-final by winning 6-2, 6-1 against 18-year-old Canadian Marina Stakusic.

Two very different rounds

The first two rounds between Fernandez and Vondrousova, two left-handers, were almost exact opposites.

The Laval resident won the first four games of the clash, including the very first, on her serve after facing six break points.

Vondrousova tried to start a comeback when she won Fernandez’s serve, then her own, to make it 4-2.

However, Fernandez closed the door on her serve in the seventh game and added a third break in the first set, taking advantage of a forehand that was too long from the Czech.

In the second set, Vondrousova looked more like the player who won the Wimbledon Open in July.

She won the first four games, giving only seven points to Fernandez in the process.

Vondrousova notably won 85% of points after placing her first ball in play, compared to only 39% in the first set, and faced no break points.

Service problems

After two high-level and not necessarily expected performances earlier this week, Stakusic, for his part, had very few opportunities to find his rhythm.

This was particularly the case in her service, which she only won twice in eight attempts against a seasoned rival, champion of the French Open in 2021 and holder of 10^e rank in the WTA rankings.

Stakusic, who entered the competition at 258^e echelon in the world rankings, had his best moments of the match in the second game of the second set. After losing her serve in the initial game – which also happened to her in the first set – Stakusic displayed her fighting skills.

The Canadian got her only two break chances of the match and converted the second when Krejcikova sent a crosscourt forehand out of bounds, making the score 1-1 in the second set.

Krejcikova responded by winning 12 of the next 14 points, including 10 in a row, en route to two more breaks of serve and a 4-1 lead that Stakusic was never able to erase.

Despite this defeat, Stakusic opened many eyes during the week. Her singles victories, first against Spaniard Rebeka Masarova in two sets, then against Poland’s Magdalena Frech in three sets, after conceding the first, helped Canada reach the semis stage. -finals.