Leylah Annie Fernandez, Photo: Tennis Canada/Joe Ng
Team Canada (#6 ranked) will battle their counterparts from Belgium (#14 ranked) in the upcoming 2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifiers at the Pacific Coliseum from April 14-15. They will battle for a berth in the 2023 World Cup of Women’s Tennis Finals.
It’s the second year in a row for Vancouver as a host venue for the top-level women’s tennis competition. Canada’s most recent home tie was against Latvia in Vancouver last April where they emerged as 4-0 winners.
Glasgow 2022, Photo: Tennis Canada/Martin Sidorjak
On Sunday, November 13, 2022, at the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals in Glasgow, Scotland, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) held the draw for the 2023 tournament’s Qualifiers ties.
Team Canada will take part in the Qualifiers stage after being knocked out of the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals during the group stage. After beating Italy handily 3-0 in their opening round-robin tie, the Canadians were ousted 2-1 by finalists Switzerland who then advanced as Group A winners.
Rebecca Marino, Photo: Tennis Canada/Joe Ng
The last time Canada faced Belgium in Billie Jean King Cup action was in April 2009 at the Grenslandhallen – Ethias Arena in Hasselt, Belgium where the Canadians were defeated.
The 2022 finalists, Switzerland and Australia, both automatically qualify for the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The host nation, which is still to be announced, will receive the 12th place unless they have already qualified, in which case a wild card will be awarded.
The remaining nine teams will be decided by the Qualifiers ties, which will consist of two singles matches on day one and two singles matches followed by doubles on day two.
Leylah Annie Fernandez, Photo: Tennis Canada/Martin Sidorjak
The participating players will be announced at a later date, but it’s expected a “strong contingent of Canada’s top women’s tennis stars” will compete in the matchup according to Tennis Canada.
2023 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers schedule:
- Friday, April 14 @ 4pm
- Saturday, April 15 @ 2pm
Billie Jean King & Team Canada, Photo: Tennis Canada/Martin Sidorjak
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is the national association for the sport with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada with a vision to become a world-class tennis nation.
Keep track of Canada vs. Belgium at the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers in Vancouver through Team Canada’s website. Earlybird tickets for both days of action are available for a limited time.
