Eugenie Bouchard returns to Team Canada for Billie Jean King Cup finals, Bianca Andreescu misses out
Eugenie Bouchard will once again represent her home country on the international stage after being named in the Team Canada squad for the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
Bouchard will join Leylah Fernandez, recently crowned US Open doubles champion Gabriela Dabrowski, Rebecca Marino, and Marina Stakusic in Team Canada. The 2023 Billie Jean King Cup finals will be played at the Estadio de la Cartuja in Seville, Spain, from November 7 to 12.
Eugenie Bouchard will play at the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time since 2018. She has played a total of 10 matches in the tournament.
Canada's most recent singles Grand Slam champion, Bianca Andreescu, will not play in Seville. The 23-year-old last played at the Canadian Open in August, losing to Camila Giorgi in the opening round. She subsequently withdrew from the US Open due to a stress fracture in her back.
Team Canada is drawn into Group C. They will first face host nation Spain, featuring Paula Badosa, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Rebeka Masarova, Cristina Bucsa, and Marina Bassols Ribera, on November 8.
Canada's second group tie is against Poland on November 10. Poland will be without its biggest star, Iga Swiatek, at the finals but will boast Magda Linette, Magda Frech, Katarzyna Kawa, and Weronika Falkowska.
Here's how Eugenie Bouchard has performed in 2023
Eugenie Bouchard has played at all levels of professional in 2023, i.e., WTA Tour, WTA Challenger Tour, and ITF tournaments. She made her first WTA Tour main draw appearance at the Bogota Open in April and won her opening-round match in Colombia against Switzerland's Ylena In-Albon.
Her next WTA Tour win came at the WTA 1000 Madrid Open, where she, as a qualifier, defeated Dayana Yastremska in the first round before losing to Martina Trevisan in the second. Bouchard reached the quarterfinals of the Challenger tournament in Florence, Italy, in May. The 29-year-old's next tour appearance came at the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open, where she was awarded a main draw wildcard.
Eugenie Bouchard bettered home player Renata Zarazua in straight sets but lost to No. 7 seed Veronika Kudermetova in a tough three-setter in the second round.
At the Grand Slam level, she could not progress out of the qualifications rounds. Bouchard last played a Grand Slam at the 2020 French Open, where she reached the third round. The Canadian, ranked as high as World No. 5 in the past, currently sits at the World No. 232 spot.