Marino, Stakusic to lead Canada into Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in April

Rebecca Marino of Canada plays a forehand return to Katie Boulter of Britain during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

The Canadian team headed for the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers has been set.

Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino, Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., Toronto’s Victoria Mboko, Kayla Cross of London, Ont., and Ariana Arseneault of Richmond Hill, Ont., will compete for Canada from April 11-13 in Tokyo.

Mboko, Cross, and Arseneault are all first-time selections, while Marino, a member of Canada’s 2023 championship team, is making her 13th appearance and holds a 7-10 record at the competition.

This will be Stakusic’s third appearance at the Billie Jean King Cup, having played a key role in Canada’s 2023 title run by defeating Spain’s Rebeka Masarova, Poland’s Magdalena Frech, and Italy’s Martina Trevisan.

Canada, ranked No. 2 in the world, will compete in Group A against No. 13 Romania and No. 14 Japan at the Ariake Coliseum.

The group winner will advance to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, set to take place in Shenzhen, China, in November.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025.