Canada defeated Italy on Sunday to win the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in their history. Leylah Fernandez defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-3 and Marina Stakusic topped Martina Trevisan 7-5, 6-3 in order to hand Canada a 2-0 series victory.
Runner-up in the 2021 US Open, Fernandez proved to be Canada’s standout player of the tournament, providing the team with four victories. 18-year-old Stakusic also proved to be an exciting player to watch, entering the tournament without having ever beaten a top 100 player and going on to defeat three.
“I’m so happy and honored that I could play this week,” Stakusic exclaimed. “This has been the best week of my life.” Canada is the 13th team to win the Billie Jean King Cup, winning $2.4 million in prize money due to their victory.
