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Eugenie Bouchard back on home court as Canada hosts Ukraine in Fed Cup
Ukraine is the favourite in the best-of-five competition that will be played indoors at the Jarry Tennis Centre this weekend.
Pat Hickey, Montreal Gazette
Eugenie Bouchard hits a return to Sara Errani of Italy at the Volvo Car Open tennis tournament in Charleston, S.C., on April 3, 2018. Brad Nettles / AP
The good news for Canada’s Fed Cup team is that Elina Svitolina, the No. 4 player in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings, will not be in Montreal this weekend when Canada faces Ukraine in a World Group II relegation tie.
The bad news is that, even without Svitolina, Ukraine is the favourite in the best-of-five competition that will be played indoors at the Jarry Tennis Centre.
“On paper, they have the stronger team, but we have Genie Bouchard playing for us and this is an important moment for Canada and for Genie,” Tennis Canada vice-president Eugène Lapierre said Monday at a news conference to announce that Uniprix Stadium, the venue of the Rogers Cup tournament, will be rechristened as IGA Stadium.
Bouchard hasn’t played Fed Cup since 2015 and she returns at a time when she and Canadian women’s tennis are at a crossroads. A former top-10 player, Bouchard has dropped to No. 117 in the WTA rankings and has seen her lucrative endorsement deals dry up.
She was the key in 2013 when Canada defeated Ukraine 3-2 to keep its spot in the Fed Cup World Group, but a loss on the weekend would send Canada — No. 18 in the Fed Cup rankings — back to Americas Zone play, which Lapierre described as “the basement.”
Montreal’s Francoise Abanda practises at the Rogers Cup in Toronto on Aug. 7, 2017. Stan Behal / Toronto Sun
Bouchard will be joined by fellow Montrealer Françoise Abanda (No. 127), Mississauga, Ont., teenager Bianca Andreescu (No. 221) and Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski, a top-10 doubles specialist.
Ukraine will counter with Lesia Tsurenko (No. 41), Kateryna Bondarenko (No. 78) and top-50 doubles player Olga Savchuk.
The Fed Cup format features two singles matches on Saturday followed by two singles matches and a concluding doubles match on Sunday. The matches will be played on indoor hard courts and Lapierre said he is hoping to fill the 1,800 temporary seats.
The switch in sponsorship for the stadium came after Uniprix ended a 15-year association with Tennis Canada. In addition to the naming rights, IGA will host an open house on June 2 and will sponsor the Rogers Cup Family Weekend, which offers free admission for training sessions and qualifying matches Aug. 3-5 ahead of the WTA tournament.
Play begins on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. and on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Single-day tickets cost $25, plus taxes and fees, for adults and $15, plus taxes and fees, for children 12 and younger, and can be purchased at the IGA Stadium box office or at
www.ticketmaster.ca. A weekend pass is $40 for adults and $20 for children.
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