Canada have been crowned Billie Jean King Cup winners for the first time in their history by virtue of a 2-0 win over four-time champions Italy in Sunday's final in Seville.
One day after scraping past the Czech Republic courtesy of a nervy doubles rubber in the semi-finals, Canada - whose previous best was a semi-final appearance in 1988 - made the perfect start to the showpiece as Marina Stakusic saw off Martina Trevisan 7-5 6-3.
Stakusic's straight-sets success presented Leylah Fernandez with the opportunity to make history for her nation, and despite the palpable pressure, the 21-year-old eased to a championship-clinching 6-2 6-3 win over Jasmine Paolini.
Stakusic kicked off the action for Canada after suffering a crushing - albeit inconsequential - loss to Barbora Krejcikova in Saturday's semi-final, but she got off to a perfect start against Trevisan with an immediate break for a 3-0 lead.
However, the world number 258 - ranked 215 places lower than Trevisan - was close to suffering a catastrophic collapse, falling 4-5 down after holding a 4-1 advantage as the Italian gave herself the chance to serve out the set.
Trevisan soon ran out of steam, though, as Stakusic broke back to level the tie at 5-5 before the Italian fatally lost her serve in the 12th game, being made to pay for winning just 22% of points behind her second serve.
Leylah Fernandez throws her racquet up in the air as Team Canada wins the Billie Jean King Cup for the first time in history.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 12, 2023
She immediately runs to her team & they share a beautiful embrace.
These women have embodied the word 'teamwork.'
This moment is pure joy. 🇨🇦🥹 pic.twitter.com/w3oVhaDteo
The duo exchanged just one hold in the opening six games of the second set, but it crucially went the way of Stakusic, who then squandered four chances to clinch the match on Trevisan's serve in the eighth game.
The Italian had only delayed the inevitable, though, as Stakusic held to leave Canada one match away from a maiden title, which Fernandez sought to deliver against a played ranked five spots higher than her in Paolini.
Paolini fought back after losing her serve in the opening game, but she could not respond a second time after Fernandez broke for a 3-2 lead, which marked the start of a four-game winning streak for the former US Open finalist.
Paolini was en route to a love hold in the third game of the second set, but a double fault opened the door for Fernandez to gain the upper hand, and the Canadian missed two chances to break before making it third time lucky.
The die was seemingly cast in the seventh game, as Fernandez sealed a break to love on a double fault from Paolini, but the pressure briefly got to the former as she was broken while serving for the title.
However, Paolini also failed to hold her nerve as she served to try to stay in the match, failing to meet a stunning cross-court backhand from Fernandez on match point before the celebrations commenced for Heidi El Tabakh's team.
Ben Knapton
