Canada defeats Italy to win the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time.
On Sunday, Canada made national history by winning the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in a landslide in Seville, Spain.
Marina Stakusic and Leylah Fernandez combined for two straight-set singles wins against four-time champion Italy in the final tie, giving the Canadians an insurmountable 2-0 lead and their maiden title at the preeminent women's tennis team event.
18-year-old Stakusic, ranked No.258, began the day with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Martina Trevisan, ranked 43rd. Fernandez then defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-3 in a Top 40 match to win the trophy for her country.
The dominant performance caps off a stunning performance for Canada, whose previous best result at the Billie Jean King Cup was a semifinal appearance in 1988.
In the final on Sunday, Canada faced two Top 50 players in Trevisan and Paolini, both of whom had gone 3-0 in singles play prior to the championship match.
However, a commanding victory over former Top 20 player Trevisan by surging teenager Stakusic set the tone. The players were nearly even in terms of winners, but Stakusic took command when facing Trevisan's second service, claiming 76 percent of those points.
Stakusic, who has won three ITF Challenger titles in the second half of this year, capped an impressive week by slamming a forehand winner past Trevisan on her fifth match point. Stakusic's victory is her first over a current Top 50 player in her young career.
In the second match, only five spots in the current WTA rankings separated No.35 Fernandez and No.30 Paolini. Fernandez, a 2021 US Open finalist, had won both of their previous meetings in straight sets, including this year's Doha qualifying.
After winning the first set on Sunday, Fernandez had to play several long games against Paolini to take a 5-2 lead in the second set. With Fernandez serving for the title in that game, Paolini made one last stand, slamming a forehand winner on the sideline to break and keep the tie alive.
Fernandez, on the other hand, erased two game points to tie the game at 5-3 before crushing a return winner to earn her first championship point. Fernandez then fired a passing winner beyond Paolini to complete Canada's historic week in 1 hour and 39 minutes.
SportsLigue