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Leylah Fernandez thinks Canada "deserved" to be "world champions" and admitted that she is "extremely happy and ecstatic" to have led Canada to their first Billie Jean King Cup title. This past week in Seville, 2021 US Open finalist Fernandez came up big for Canada, going 4/4 in her singles matches and also winning one doubles match in which she played with Gabriela Dabrowski.
On Sunday, Fernandez sealed Canada's win over Italy in the final after beating Jasmine Paolini 6-2 6-3. “I’m extremely happy – ecstatic. It’s the first time that Canada has ever won Billie Jean King Cup and I can finally say, ‘we’re world champions’, and we deserve it.
We have worked really hard these past years and, as I have said before, every year we just keep improving and it’s showing on the tennis court. It is showing in competitions and now it has shown on the biggest stage in the world," Fernandez told the Billie Jean King Cup website.
Fernandez, Marina Stakusic lead Canada to their first BJK Cup title
Stakusic, an 18-year-old girl ranked at No 261 in the world, also played a big part in Canada's Billie Jean King Cup win. In Seville, Stakusic went 3/4. On Sunday, Stakusic upset world No 42 Martina Trevisan to give Canada a 1-0 lead over Italy and also clinch her first top-50 win.
Stakusic's lone loss in Seville came against 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova. “It’s definitely not what I imagined would happen coming here. As the week went on and just training with these girls all of the time, I knew that we were gaining confidence and we really believed in ourselves.
It ended up paying off in the end. It’s been an incredible week and I’m super happy I got to spend it with these women," Stakusic said. After Stakusic defeated Trevisan, Fernandez handled the business against Paolini and Canada ended up lifting its first Billie Jean King Cup title.