Canada Beats Italy: Canada outclassed Italy in the final of the Billie Jean King Cup on Sunday at the Estadio la Cartuja in Seville, Spain. The Canadians won the first two singles rubbers to ensure the victory in the best-of-three showdown. Canada completed a rare double as the men’s team won the Davis Cup in Malaga last year. Eighteen-year-old Marina Stakusic and former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez defeated their respective foes to take home the title.
Stakusic defeated Martina Trevisan, 7-5 6-3, and Fernandez beat Jasmine Paolini, 6-2 6-3, to help the Canadians become the 13th nation to win the title and the second consecutive new champion after Switzerland took home the title in Glasgow 12 months ago. Canada’s win in the Billie Jean King Cup became proof that they are a rising power in women’s tennis and a squad to count on in online sports picks and parlays moving forward.
Canada Beats Italy: The Risk Pays Off for the Canadians
The Canadians took a risk by opting to use 258th-ranked Stakusic and it worked wonders as the 18-year-old netter defeated three top 100 players this week, including Trevisan. In the semifinals, the team used Fernandez twice against the Czech Republic on Saturday. She was able to defeat Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova and saw action in the decisive doubles encounter for Canada. Team coach Nathalie Tauziat hailed Fernandez’s composure and leadership during the tournament. She even compared the 21-year-old tennis star to a boxer. Fernandez said that the Team Canada deserved to win the Billie Jean King Cup. Four-time champions Italy continued their 10-year drought in the event, known as the Fed Cup until 2020. They last won the crown in 2013.
Mannarino Wins ATP Sofia Open
Frenchman Adrian Mannarino squeezed past Jack Draper of the United Kingdom in three sets, 7-6(8-6) 2-6 6-3, to take home the ATP Sofia Open title on Saturday. It was the third title of the year – and fifth overall – for the 35-year-old Mannarino, who took the opening set in a tiebreak. The 21-year-old Draper fought back in the second set and won 6-2. Mannarino, however, regained control of the match in the third set to end the two-hour-and-15-minute final. The victory added to his titles won in Astana and Newport this season. Draper became the youngest Briton to reach an ATP final since Andy Murray in 2009, but he was not able to capitalize on the momentum he had in the second set.
Humbert Gains First ATP Title in Two Years
Hometown bet Ugo Humbert secured his first Association of Tennis Professionals title since 2021 as he outclassed Alexander Shevchenko in the final of the Moselle Open on Saturday. Humbert, who was born in the French city of Metz that hosted the tournament, outplayed Shevchenko, 6-3 6-3, to claim his first title in two years. The win placed Humbert at a career-high No20 in the world rankings and become the top-ranked French player at the end of the year. Humbert, who claimed his fourth ATP title, dropped just four points on his first serve and saved the only break point he faced in the final. Before winning the Moselle Open, the Frenchman won titles in Auckland, Antwerp and Halle.
Czech Tennis Pair Splits
World-class women’s doubles players Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova have parted ways. Czech media quoted Siniakova as saying that she and Krejcikova will not play together beginning next season as she wanted a change. Siniakova believes that splitting with Krejcikova will benefit both of them. She does not rule out playing together in the future but she hopes that the split will make them stronger as ever. As a pair, Siniakova and Krejcikova won seven Grand Slam titles and captured the Tokyo Olympics gold medal. They crashed out of the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals in Seville, losing to the Canadian pair of Leylah Fernandez and Gabriela Dabrowski.
The two 27-year-olds have won two titles at the Australian and French Open and at Wimbledon together, and one at the US Open. They also won the WTA Finals in 2021. The move surprised Krejcikova, the French Open singles champion from 2021. However, she told reporters that she respected Siniakova’s decision to part ways. The split ended one of the top pairs in the women’s doubles that WTA Tour oddsmakers place their bets in prestigious tournaments. They have achieved a lot during their stints as a duo and the announcement hopefully would benefit Siniakova and Krejcikova in the future.
