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Canada will not be advancing to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after losing 3-1 to host Kazakhstan in a qualifying tie.
Kazakhstan won both of Saturday’s opening games to clinch the best-of-five women’s international tennis showdown in Astana.
Anna Danilina and Zhibek Kulambayeva defeated Bianca Andreescu and Kayla Cross 7-5, 6-1 in a doubles match.
Yulia Putintseva then clinched the tie with a hard-fought 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (4) win over Andreescu in a match that lasted three hours 39 minutes.
“They faced a very strong team, and I loved how the girls competed out there,” said Canada captain Marie-Eve Pelletier. “It wasn’t the result we wanted, but I’m incredibly proud of the fight and heart they showed. They have a lot to be proud of.”
Andreescu scored a break to go up 4-3 in the thirds set, but Putintseva broke back the next game before finally winning the set, and the match, in a tiebreak.
WATCH | Replay of Andreescu vs. Putintseva:
Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers: Match 4 CAN-Andreescu vs. KAZ-Putintseva
Watch day two singles action of the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers tie between Canada’s Bianca Andreescu and Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva from Astana.
A planned fifth match between Cross and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva was not played after Kazakhstan wrapped up the tie.
The teams entered Saturday tied at 1-1 after splitting the opening singles matches.
Despite the loss, it was a successful return to international tennis for Andreescu. The 2019 U.S. Open champion and former world No. 4 defeated Zhiyenbayeva 6-4, 7-6 (4) on Friday in her first BJK Cup match since 2022 following a string of injuries.
“I’m really proud of the way I played and how we showed up as a team,” said Andreescu. “We did everything we could. Marie-Eve was with us the whole way, and the team supported us throughout.
“I really enjoyed the week — and sometimes, that’s tennis.”
WATCH | Replay of doubles match between Andreescu/Cross and Danilina/Kulambayeva:
Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers: Match 3 CAN-Andreescu/Cross vs. KAZ-Danilina/Kulambayeva
Watch day two doubles action of the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers tie between Canada and Kazakhstan from Astana.
Kazakhstan advances to September’s Finals, while Canada, which won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023, will compete in the 2026 playoffs in November.
Canada was missing its top two singles players in the WTA rankings — world No. 9 Victoria Mboko and No. 25 Leylah Fernandez.
Great Britain tops Australia to advance
Great Britain advanced to the Finals when doubles pair Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage beat Australia’s Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez 6-3, 6-4 to clinch the teams’ best-of-five matchup Saturday in Melbourne.
The visitors had built a 2-0 lead Friday when 17-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic beat Talia Gibson 7-6 (4), 7-5, and Dart topped Kimberly Birrell 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in singles matches at John Cain Arena.
In a consolation win, 17-year-old Australian Emerson Jones beat Katie Swan 7-5, 6-3 to make the score 3-1.
The finals of the Billie Jean King Cup, a women’s team tournament formerly called the Fed Cup, will be held in Shenzhen in September. Host nation China qualified automatically.
Five other finalists will be determined Saturday: defending champion Italy vs. Japan; Switzerland vs. Czech Republic; Slovenia vs. Spain; Belgium vs. United States; Poland vs. Ukraine.
The losing teams will compete in November’s Billie Jean King Cup Cup playoffs, which determines qualifiers for 2027.
