Bouchard leads charge for Canada vs. Romania
Eugenie Bouchard, ranked No. 7 in the world, leads Canada into the World Group playoffs of the Fed Cup against Romania this weekend in Montreal.
Romania will be without their No. 1 player, Simona Halep, who opted not to play, while Canada will be without Aleksandra Wozniak, who is coming off shoulder surgery last September.
Here’s a look at the matchups:
CANADA
Eugenie Bouchard
Age: 21 Born: Montreal Singles ranking: 7 Doubles ranking: 1,074 Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) First appearance: 2011 Overall Fed Cup won-lost record: 11-2 Head to head: Bouchard is 1-0 against the Romanians. She defeated Irina-Camelia Begu 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 in the fourth round at the 2015 Australian Open. The skinny: Genie has lost three matches in a row to lesser-ranked players, with injuries partly to blame. Hometown crowd should give her a boost, and she has a new coach this year in Sam Sumyk.
Gabriela Dabrowski
Age: 23 Born: Ottawa Singles ranking: 181 Doubles ranking: 43 Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) First appearance: 2013 Overall Fed Cup won-lost record: 3-5 Head to head: She is 0-1 against Romanian competition. She lost 6-2, 6-2 to Alexandra Dulgheru in the round of 32 in the 2015 Doha qualifying draw. The skinny: She reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 164 on Nov. 3, 2014, and her highest doubles ranking of 41on March 9, 2015. She is trained by her father, Yurek.
Sharon Fichman
Age: 24 Born: Toronto Singles ranking: 205 Doubles ranking: 141 Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) First appearance: 2005 Overall Fed Cup won-lost record: 22-9 Head to head: Fichman is1-3 overall against the Romanians. She is 1-1 in matches against Alexandra Dulgheru, but 0-2 against Andreea Mitu. The skinny: Known for her tenacity and feistiness on the court. Career highs are No. 77 in singles and No. 48 in doubles, both achieved in 2014.
Françoise Abanda
Age: 18 Born: Montreal Singles ranking: 260 Doubles ranking: 442 Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) First appearance: 2015 Overall Fed Cup won-lost record: 0-2 Head to head: Abanda is 1-0 against the Romanians, with her victory coming against Andreea Mitu 6-1, 6-1 in the 2014 U.S. Open qualifying draw. The skinny: Her fighting spirit was applauded in a loss to Venus Williams last September: “When she’s behind she gets even more competitive,” Williams said at the time.
ROMANIA
Irina-Camelia Begu
Age: 24 Born: Bucharest Singles ranking: 33 Doubles ranking: 65 Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) First appearance: 2010 Overall Fed Cup won-lost record: 10-5 Head to head: She’s 0-1 against the Canadians. Lost to Bouchard in three sets in the round of 16 at the 2015 Aussie Open. The skinny: The No. 2 player in Romania, who reached her highest singles ranking of 34 in February. She has one WTA singles title and four career WTA doubles titles.
Alexandra Dulgheru
Age: 25 Born: Bucharest Singles ranking: 69 Doubles ranking: 662 Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) First appearance: 2010 Overall Fed Cup won-lost record: 5-7 Head to head: She is 2-1 against the Canadians. She is 1-1 in matches against Sharon Fichman and 1-0 against Gabriela Dabrowski. The skinny: Career high in singles at No. 26 in April, 2011 and career high in doubles at No. 47 in March 2011. Her favourite shot is the high backhand and she has struggled with knee injuries.
Andreea Mitu
Age: 23 Born: Bucharest Singles ranking: 104 Doubles ranking: 218 Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) First appearance: This is her first competition. Overall Fed Cup won-lost record: 0-0 Head to head: She is 2-1 overall against the Canadians. She is 2-0 against Sharon Fichman and 0-1 against Françoise Abanda. The skinny: She reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 133 last October and her best doubles ranking was No. 243 in July 2012. She has never advanced past second round of any Grand Slam in singles.
Raluca Olaru
Age: 26 Born: Bucharest Singles ranking: 840 Doubles ranking: 62 Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand) First appearance: 2007 Overall won-lost record: 6-8 Head to head: No matches played. The skinny: Best singles record was reaching third round of 2007 French Open. She reached her highest singles ranking of No. 53 in July 2009, and achieved highest doubles ranking, No. 61, in March, 2014.