Canada grouped with Spain, Poland at Billie Jean King Cup

LONDON — Canada has drawn into a group with Spain and Poland at the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup finals.

The international women's team tennis tournament held its draw on Wednesday. Canada, Spain, and Poland will compete in a round-robin tournament in Seville, Spain, Nov. 7-12.

"This will be the third consecutive year that we are playing in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be back,” said Heidi El Tabakh, Canada's team captain. “Once again, we will be part of a very good group to start the competition, with Poland playing its second final in a row, and Spain, the third-ranked nation, getting the chance to play at home in front of their fans as hosts.

"I'm confident that we have all the firepower necessary to compete with the best nations in the world and we can’t wait to get on court to prove it."

The Billie Jean King Cup is the World Cup of women's tennis.

Previously known as the Fed Cup, it's the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with a record 134 nations entered in 2023.

Switzerland beat Australia 2-0 to win last year's championship.

Canada reached the round-robin stage of the tournament in 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2023.