TORONTO: US Open champion Bianca Andreescu has been named in the Canadian team that will face Switzerland in next week’s Fed Cup qualifier but will only make her season debut if her knee injury has fully recovered, Tennis Canada said on Tuesday.
World number six Andreescu, who missed this year’s Australian Open due to a knee injury suffered at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen last October, will be joined in the Canada squad by Eugenie Bouchard, Gabriela Dabrowski and Leylah Annie Fernandez.
Tennis Canada said Andreescu continues to make encouraging progress every day and is training hard to prepare for her return to competition.
“It was important for her to be with the team for the upcoming Fed Cup tie,” Tennis Canada said in an email to Reuters when asked if Andreescu would play next week.
“However, her team will continue to monitor her progress in the next week and she will only play if she is 100%.”
Andreescu’s last appearance for Canada came during last year’s World Group II playoff against the Netherlands when she won the first and third rubbers to help the team to a 4-0 victory.
The 19-year-old Andreescu has played in eight ties in total and holds a 7-3 record in singles.
The winner of the Feb. 7-8 tie in Biel will qualify for the Fed Cup Finals in Budapest, Hungary in April.
“The girls had some good results to start the year and I now hope they will carry that energy into this tie,” Canada Fed Cup captain Heidi El Tabakh said in a statement.
“Switzerland has a very tough team and will have the support of a home crowd, but I know that our team will fight until the very last ball with the goal of qualifying for the Fed Cup Finals in Budapest.”
