Canada’s Abanda, Slovakia’s Cibulkova to start Fed Cup playoff tie in Bratislava

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Francoise Abanda will kick off Canada’s Fed Cup World Group II playoff tie with Slovakia on Saturday when she takes on World No. 38 Dominika Cibulkova.

The weekend best-of-five series will mark the third meeting between Canada and Slovakia in Fed Cup play. Canada won 3-1 in Quebec City in 2014 and lost 5-0 in 1997. The winner of the tie will remain in World Group II for 2017 while the loser will be relegated to the Zone Group I competition.

Slovakia reached the Fed Cup semifinals in 2013 and won the title in 2002.

Abanda, a 19-year-old from Montreal making her fourth appearance in Fed Cup. She will be joined in singles action by Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., who brings a 40-10 Fed Cup record into the tie.

Wozniak will play No. 34 Karolina Schmiedlova on Saturday, then Abanda will play Schmiedlova and Woznaik will play Cibulkova Sunday.

Toronto’s Sharon Fichman and Blainville’s Charlotte Robillard-Millette are scheduled to face Cibulkova and Jana Cepelova in a series-ending doubles match Sunday.

Montreal’s Eugenie Bouchard, Canada’s top-ranked women’s player, was initially named to the team, but pulled out of the tie with an abdominal injury.

“We definitely have a tough task ahead of us but Francoise and Aleksandra love playing Fed Cup and they always bring their best,” said team captain Sylvain Bruneau. “We’ve had a very good week of practice. They are feeling comfortable on the clay and we’re ready to get started.”

The matches will be played indoors on red clay.