It all came down to one set. One set to decide Group A in the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers. And sadly, that set did not go Canada’s way.
The math was fairly simple heading into the last day of play in Tokyo. Win and you’re in. Canada and the hosts Japan went into their tie each having beaten Romania, meaning whoever won this clash would earn their ticket to Shenzhen in September for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
After splitting the two singles matches, a win for Victoria Mboko over Ena Shibahara followed by a loss for Marina Stakusic at the hands of Moyuka Uchijima, the tension was ramped up when the Canadian pair of Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino and the Japanese team of Shuko Aoyama and Shibahara split the first two sets of the decisive doubles match.
In the end, the Japanese team took the decider, the tie, top spot in the group, and the spot in September’s Finals.
Even though it was a gutting defeat for Canada, captain Heidi El Tabakh heaped praise on her team after the loss, saying, “I'm sure we're all disappointed that we lost, but I'm very, very proud of every single girl on the team and the effort they put in today. We fought until the end and it just didn’t go our way.”
El Tabakh particularly praised her doubles team for their inspired effort. This week was the first time Cross and Marino played together and had their hands full with a very experienced Japanese pair.
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“I'm very, very, very proud of Rebecca and Kayla for showing up and playing the way they did this this evening, playing against a very experienced Japanese team, one of the best players in the world,” said the captain.
“That was a really challenging doubles match, and obviously as a team, both Kayla and I, as well as the other players and our captain, are disappointed with the loss today,” said Marino in her press conference. “I think that's a very natural reaction, as we care very much about representing our country on this stage, but I think we played an excellent doubles match. Not bad for a first time together.”
Cross was representing Canada for the first time this week and was pragmatic about Sunday’s defeat, saying, “Obviously very disappointing to not get the win today, but I think we played a really good match and showed our level, especially playing [together] for the first time. I think we did quite well, and I think we had a lot of fun out there. Even though I was a little bit nervous, it was really fun. I hope we can do that again.”
The 20-year-old Cross played both doubles matches for Canada this week with the veteran Marino. Already an eight-time doubles titlist as a pro, she could be a mainstay on Team Canada for a while. Even though she was beaten in the deciding doubles match on Sunday, Cross impressed her teammate.
"I think Kayla really stepped up and played some amazing doubles,” said Marino after the match. “I'm very proud of my partner and the way she played today."
This week’s Qualifiers provided a glimpse into Canada’s future at the Billie Jean King Cup. Four of the five members of the team were under the age of 23. Three were nominated for the first time, with two competing in their first matches for their country as pros.
And despite the loss, they provided plenty of reason for optimism. Cross’ doubles performance was one such example.
The biggest bright spot of the week was the dominant debut of Mboko. The 18-year-old won both her singles matches in her first appearance at the pro level for Team Canada, improving her stellar 2025 record to 30-2.
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"I hope this isn’t my last BJKC,” quipped Mboko in her post-match interview. “I want to make the Finals. I want to get more wins for Canada. I want to get more and more. It’s such a pleasure to play for your country. I’m just so grateful for this whole experience.”
Given her performance this week for Canada, it is probably a safe bet that Mboko will be donning the red and white again.
The women’s loss in Tokyo combined with the Davis Cup team’s loss in the Qualifiers 1st Round back in February means that for the first time since the introduction of the revamped “Finals” format for the team competitions, Canada will not have a shot at either trophy in the fall.
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Canada will play in November’s play-offs, looking to get back into the qualifiers for 2026. The format for the play-offs will be the same as the qualifiers, with teams drawn into groups of three and playing a round-robin, with the winner of each group advancing to the 2026 qualifiers. The draw will be announced at a later date.
Feature Photo : Sarah-Jade Champagne
