Canada Wins Fed Cup Zonal Event in Paraguay

February 6, 2010

Fichman, Pelletier and Wozniak sweep Colombia to earn a World Group II playoff spot in April 

For the second consecutive year, the Miele Canadian Fed Cup team won the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Americas Zone Group I matches on Saturday in Lambare, Paraguay.

Playing on the outdoor clay courts of the Yacht y Golf Club Paraguayo, the Canadian squad swept Colombia 2-0 in the final tie to earn a coveted spot in a World Group II playoff. Filling in for an injured Stéphanie Dubois (Laval, QC) in the No. 2 singles slot, Sharon Fichman (Toronto, ON), who did not lose a match or a set this week, opened proceedings on Saturday with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 win over Catalina Castano to give Canada the early lead. After suffering a disappointing loss against Brazil on Saturday, Canada’s best singles player, Aleksandra Wozniak (Blainville, QC) was at her best when it mattered most, scoring a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Mariana Duque-Marino in the second singles rubber to send her country into a World Group II playoff in April.   

“We are very excited about our win today,” said Wozniak via conference call. “We played in some really tough conditions this week and we played some very solid tennis in the final when it really counted. We are looking forward to finding out who are next opponents are and where we will play.”   

Given that a winner had already been decided, the final doubles match of the tie was not contested.

Canada now awaits their fate for the World Group II playoffs which will be played on April 24 and 25, 2010. They will face a loser from the opening round of World Group II which is also being contested this weekend. A draw will be held by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) next week to determine each match up for the next round and where they will be played. The next tie will mark the first for Sylvain Bruneau as captain of the Miele Canadian Fed Cup team as he will assume the role from Rene Collins who captained her final event this week.

In 2009, the Canadian team was dominant on their home court en route to a victory in the Americas zonal event at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal. They went on to play Belgium in a World Group II playoff and lost the deciding doubles match to drop a 3-2 decision and were relegated back to the Americas Zone for 2010. The last time Canada earned a place in World Group II was in when they bested Argentina 4-1 in a playoff tie held in Edmonton in 2006.