Canada-Romania Fed Cup tennis tie to be played on hardcourt surface

MONTREAL — Canada and Romania will play their Fed Cup World Group II first-round tie on an indoor hardcourt surface in ClujNapoca, Tennis Canada said Tuesday in a statement.

The Romanian Tennis Federation chose the venue and surface for the Feb. 10-11 tie. Player nominations will be announced at a later date.

“We will prepare ourselves for this important encounter in the coming months,” said Canadian captain Sylvain Bruneau. “In fact, we will all meet for a training camp in Florida in December. We are well aware of the magnitude of the task at hand, but we have proven in the past that we are capable of causing surprises.”

Romania is ranked 12th in the world, three positions higher than Canada. The winner will qualify for the World Group II playoffs in April.

Meanwhile, in Milan, Italy, Canada’s Denis Shapovalov dropped a 1-4, 4-3 (5), 4-3 (4), 4-1 decision to South Korea’s Hyeon Chung in his opening match at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals.

Shapovalov, 18, is the youngest player in a field that includes eight of the best 21-and-under players on the ATP Tour.

The tournament continues through Saturday at the Fiera Milano stadium.

Shapovalov, from Richmond Hill, Ont., reached a career-high ranking of No. 49 last month. He currently holds the No. 51 position.