Canada started the Billie Jean King Cup finals on the right foot on Thursday morning. He swept Italy 3-0 in the group stage of this women’s tennis team competition.
Bianca Andreescu first beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-6 (3), 6-3 after an hour and 51 minutes on the cement of the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, then her compatriot Leylah Annie Fernandez crushed Martina Trevisan 6-0, 6-0 in 44 short minutes.
It was the first career game between Andreescu, 45e world racket, and Cocciaretto, 65e.
The Ontario, champion of the United States Open in 2019, was able to limit the errors during her duel; she committed only one double fault, compared to Cocciaretto’s three. In addition, Andreescu converted four of her eight break points, as she conceded her serve three times in four occasions.
However, it was Andreescu’s comeback, after she was faced with a late set point 2-5 in the first set, that proved a turning point in the encounter.
“I like to pull from the back, because it forces me to raise my level of play. There is a kind of click that occurs in my head and I suddenly become much more aggressive. So, yes, it was good, ”she admitted in a post-match videoconference.
Andreescu also credited her rival, Cocciaretto, who had played over three hours the day before against Switzerland’s Jill Teichmann — a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5) loss.
“In the first set, she didn’t seem flat at all. It didn’t look like she had played a three-hour game the night before. However, towards the end of the game, when she asked for the intervention of the therapist, I knew I had to hang in there and stay focused on my game plan,” she explained.
For his part, Fernandez, 40e in the world, has never been worried by its rival, Trevisan, yet 28e.
The 20-year-old Quebecer certainly committed two double faults, but she did not concede a single break point to the Italian. The Lavalloise, who was a finalist at the United States Open in 2021, was opportunistic, as evidenced by her six breaks in seven opportunities. Fernandez also committed just eight unforced errors, against an impressive total of 26 for his opponent.
Then, at the end of the day, Ontarian Gabriela Dabrowski and Fernandez capped off a dream day by beating Italians Lucia Bronzetti and Jasmine Paoloni 6-1, 6-1 in 46 minutes.
The representatives of the maple leaf, which are led by captain Sylvain Bruneau, will have an appointment with Switzerland on Friday. Switzerland also beat Italy 3-0 on Wednesday.
“It will be a very difficult duel. In fact, I don’t believe there is a single weak team here in this competition. I just hope I play to my full potential and can get the win,” concluded Andreescu.