Vancouver Diaries: Sights and Sounds from Team Canada’s Win

Resilient. Courageous. Fighters. Intelligent. These are the words that Team Canada players Leylah Fernandez and Gaby Dabrowski used to describe their team after clinching the 3-2 win over Belgium, sending them through to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November.

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“I just told myself to smile,” said Fernandez, who found herself in a 4-0 hole against Ysaline Bonaventure in the first singles match on Saturday. Call it the Canadian Comeback, but Leylah was able to rally back and win in three sets, setting up Canada to be a point away from the finals.

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Team Belgium responded with their own three-set victory, ultimately setting up a win-or-go-home doubles rubber at 2-2. Without a doubt, Leylah Fernandez and Gaby Dabrowski were up for it.

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“I’m ready no matter what,” said Dabrowski. The Canadian “Doubles Specialist” (according to teammate Leylah Fernandez” spoke about how she always stays ready during team events like this, especially when, most of the time, it very much may come down to a deciding doubles rubber.

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The pair, who had previously played together, pulled out a very sharp 6-1, 6-3 victory and secured the win for Team Canada.

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Final Thoughts

This weekend felt like a whirlwind. It’s fitting that I finally adjusted to the Pacific Timezone once being back in Toronto, but it’s a bit indicative of what the tennis calendar is like. Fly in, play the week, fly out. And then also perform at the highest level.

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I’ve been to Vancouver before, but it was different this time. I was lucky enough to get a day of sunshine, and without going too heavy on the mountain metaphors, it really felt like a bit of a breakthrough after a long climb.

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A big thank you goes to Tennis Canada for hosting the event, to the players and staff, and of course, to Homestand Sports for providing me with the opportunity to tell these players’ stories.

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Follow Homestand Sports and Crina Mustafa for more tennis coverage throughout the summer.