Canada to host Latvia in Vancouver while Belarus and Belgium to be played on neutral ground

Tennis Canada has announced that the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Qualifiers tie between Canada and Latvia will be played at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. The tie will be played on an indoor hard court on 15-16 April.

Canadian captain Heidi El Tabakh expressed her delight at playing a first home tie in four years, adding that she hoped that fans would be able to attend the tie.

“We are very happy to be coming home to Canada, where we haven’t played since 2018,” she said. “It goes without saying that we will be following the epidemiological situation in British Columbia, as we continue to hope to play in front of an important home crowd, which will definitely give us a significant edge. One thing is certain: we are gearing up for a tough battle against the Latvian squad and remain focused on our mission to qualify for the 2022 Finals.”

Rebecca Marino, a native of Vancouver who has played seven ties for Canada since 2011, added: “I am thrilled at the prospect of playing a Billie Jean King Cup tie in my home province of British Columbia, which I have not yet experienced in my career. After two particularly difficult years due to the pandemic, this event will be a unifier for the entire tennis community and will also be a great opportunity for new fans to discover our sport.”

The tie will see Canada and Latvia meet for the first time in the competition, with Canada aiming for a win which would see the team progress to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the second time. The Canadians finished in second place in Group A at the inaugural Finals in Prague last year, defeating France before falling to eventual champions Russian Tennis Federation.

Latvia, meanwhile, are bidding to continue the momentum from a run of form that has seen them rise from Europe/Africa Group I in 2018 to establish themselves amongst the strongest teams in the competition. Latvian captain Adrians Zguns will be buoyed by the recent form of Jelena Ostapenko, who won her fifth career singles title in Dubai last week and will hope to lead the team to the highest-level of the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in their history.

Elsewhere, the ITF has announced that the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers tie between Belarus and Belgium will be played at a neutral venue. The tie will be played on an outdoor clay court at Club Megasaray in Antalya, Turkey on 15-16 April, with details regarding tickets to follow in due course.

The Europe/Africa Group I and Asia/Oceania Group I events are also being played in Antalya during the same week. Both events will be contested on outdoor clay courts from Monday 11 to Saturday 16 April at the nearby Megasaray Tennis Academy.