Canada were swept 3-0 by the Russian Tennis Federation (FRT) in the Billie Jean King Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, confirming their elimination from the competition at the same time.
It must be said that the day had started badly for the Canadian team.
A few minutes before the start of hostilities, Montrealer Françoise Abanda was forced to forfeit due to a water blister that had formed on the big toe of her left foot.
As a result, team captain Sylvain Bruneau decided to send Carol Zhao into the fray.
Zhao, 328th racket in the world, had quite an order to meet against Daria Kasatkina, 28th player in the world rankings. And unsurprisingly, the Russian player crushed the representative of the maple leaf 6-3, 6-1 in 59 minutes.
“I learned a few minutes before the meeting that I was to play. It was a very short deadline, but I was happy to be able to be on the pitch and tried to do my best, Zhao said. I learned a lot from this match, and I will definitely try to learn from it to improve myself. “
Rebecca Marino, 147th player in the world, then fought well in the second singles match before falling 6-4, 4-6 and 6-2 to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in one hour and 38 minutes.
“I felt frustration from the middle of the second set, because I knew that I had obtained opportunities to break it but did not succeed. I was disappointed because her service was predictable and she still outsmarted me, ”Pavlyuchenkova said at first.
“I was frustrated (to lose the second set) so I went back to the locker room and broke everything. It did me a lot of good, and I was able to return to the field with peace of mind after that and regain my composure, ”added the Russian.
The 16th player in the world admitted after the game that the Vancouverite had given her a hard time.
“Her ranking (of Marino) does not reflect the quality of her play. I was ready because I knew she could be dangerous and that she served very well – especially indoors, like here. I had seen her play this summer in Montreal, and she had had good results. I am therefore relieved with the result, ”Pavlyuchenkova summed up about her opponent.
Pavlyuchenkova’s victory then gave the FRT an insurmountable 2-0 lead in this best-of-three duel against the Maple Leaf representatives – setting the stage for a very important doubles match for the Canadians on the cement of the O2 Arena in Prague.
Canada absolutely had to win its doubles match to hope to advance to the semi-finals.
Marino and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski, however, lost 6-3, 6-1 to Liudmila Samsonova and her partner Veronika Kudermetova. Despite the defeat, Marino drew up a positive assessment of his experience.
“It was great overall. Canada narrowly qualified for the tournament so we gave our all and played with all our hearts. I really appreciated the team spirit that reigned between us, even if this is not the expected result. We are among the best in the world, and I believe we should be proud of ourselves, ”said Marino.
“A very positive experience”, according to Bruneau
Despite the hasty elimination of Canada, Bruneau drew up a positive assessment of the last week of activities of his proteges in Prague.
“It wasn’t our day. It started with one of our players who suffered an injury – François Abanda – forcing us to change our program. Carol (Zhao) did well, but we were up against a very, very good team. They (the Russians) played very well, and they deserved the victory, ”agreed Bruneau.
He also indicated that he will retain from this competition the victory of the country against the defending champion, France, on Monday.
“We wanted to believe it, believe that anything is possible, and I obviously believed that we could beat Russia – the girls also believed in it – but the order was heavy, and I was aware of it. And they were just too strong today. But overall, the experience has been very positive, ”he said.
Canada was deprived of its two best singles players at this tournament as Bianca Andreescu, 24th in the world, and Leylah Annie Fernandez, 26th, did not make the trip to Europe.