Bouchard returns to Federation Cup team

Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., is back with Canada’s Federation Cup squad even though the 2014 Wimbledon finalist has hit a rough patch in her career. Bouchard, whose WTA ranking has tumbled to No. 117, is to play this week when Canada faces Ukraine in a World Group II playoff, a must-win series to avoid being relegated to the American Zone next year. Ukraine’s top player, fourthranked Elina Svitolina, is not expected to play in the best-offive indoor series Saturday and Sunday. In January, Bouchard, once ranked No. 5 in the world, dropped out of the top-100 for the first time since April 2013. Bouchard remains Canada’s topranked woman. Her teammates this week include Francoise Abanda of Montreal (127th), Bianca Andreescu of Thornhill, Ont. (197th) and Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa, who is ranked 10th in doubles.