Canada relegated after 3-2 loss to Slovakia in Fed Cup playoff tie
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/04/2016 (3806 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Dominika Cibulkova downed Aleksandra Wozniak 6-2, 6-0 to propel Slovakia past Canada 3-2 on Sunday in their Fed Cup World Group II playoff tie.
Cibulkova had a virtually flawless performance against the Blainville, Que., native. The world No. 38 dominated from the back of the court, hitting 24 winners, including 18 off the forehand wing. She also limited her unforced errors to 15 compared to Wozniak’s 28.
“I was aggressive from the start of the match,” said Cibulkova. “I knew that Aleksandra could be tired after her long match yesterday (three set loss), so I wanted to make the most of that.”
The loss means that Canada will be relegated to the Americas Zone Group I competition in 2017 for the first time since 2013.
“Our players gave everything they had,” said Canadian Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau. “We thought she (Wozniak) would be able to recover after her long battle yesterday, but from the start of the match she felt like she couldn’t move very well. But, you have to hand it to Dominika Cibulkova and the way she played. She was engaged from the get go and didn’t give anything away.”
Montreal’s Francoise Abanda picked up Canada’s first point of the tie with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Jana Cepelova.
Abanda delivered a solid performance to earn her third career Fed Cup victory. The 19-year-old trailed 1-3 in the opening set before reeling off three straight games and never looked back.
“I played very aggressive tennis through the whole match, which is my style of play,” said Abanda, who hit 24 winners in the match. “I was efficient and served well. Cepelova is a very good player and I was expecting her to get a lot of balls back, but I stayed alert.”
Toronto’s Sharon Fichman and Charlotte Robillard-Millette of Blainville won the doubles rubber 6-3, 0-6, 10-8 over Cepelova and Tereza Mihalikova. The win was Robillard-Millette’s first of her Fed Cup career.