An eight-lane highway has opened up for Canada in their bid to reach the Billie Jean King Cup final that begins Friday in Vancouver against Latvia.

If the world rankings showed that Canada and Latvia ranked 10th and 12th, respectively, and a heated battle was expected, then the withdrawal of Jelena Ostapenko comes to upset the existing forces.

You will be able to watch the competition on TVA Sports and on TVA Sports live.

Roland-Garros’ champion in 2017 and No. 11 on the WTA, Ostapenko did not make the trip to Vancouver due to a wrist injury she sustained in Miami, where she struggled with a bow in her first match against American Shelby Rogers after benefiting from a first-round goodbye.

The captain addressed the issue during their meeting with the media Tuesday at the Pacific Coliseum, during the kick-off of the week’s events.

“We have just learned of Ostapenko’s withdrawal, but it does not change our preparations and our state of mind,” said Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh, who will be playing her first home game of respite since her appointment in 2019. Confront.. Accomplish. Latvia is deep and dependent on good young people.

Do not underestimate

Fans would have liked to watch a duel between Ostapenko, who regained her best form after more difficult years after her coronation in Paris, and Lila Fernandez, who is Canada’s highest-ranked with 21st.

“The amateurs had a right to a good duel, the cook agreed, but these are things that happen in tennis. Young people play without fear and have nothing to lose. They should not be taken lightly.”

For his part, he warned his Latvian counterpart, after the Miami championship, of the possibility of depriving him of his star.

Adrians told Zguns “I got a call after Miami and Jelena’s presence was a question mark. She told me she’d try to play, but smarter she’s giving herself a break and missing the Billie Jean King Cup.

Zguns already had to deal with the second player’s absence. After being eliminated in her first match at the Australian Open in January, Anastasia Sevastova announced she was taking an indefinite break to treat an injury she didn’t want to disclose. Sevastova, who previously had shoulder pain, was 65th on the WTA at the time of her break. I’ve only played three games this year.

Number 264 in the world

Of the four players present in Vancouver, Daniela Vismani ranked best with 264. The 21-year-old has worn the colors of Latvia at the Billie Jean King Cup since 2017.

And while the draw won’t take place until Thursday, the cook gave significant weight to the presence of Fernandez and Rebecca Marino in the singles.

She answered a question, “Maybe they’ll play singles, but you never know.”

play at home

“The girls are very excited to play on Canadian soil, and most of all it is Rebecca who is going to play on home soil,” said the captain. It does not change the level of play and the score, but it is the advantage of playing at home.

Canada have not played at home since 2018 in their 3-2 win over Ukraine at a break in Montreal.

Eugenie Bouchard, who will be back this week at the ITF tournament in Palm Harbor where she was invited, won her singles matches before Gabriela Dabrowski and Bianca Andreescu confirmed the Canadians with their doubles victory.