The Miele Canadian Fed Cup team began their quest for a berth in a World Group II playoff in convincing fashion on Wednesday at the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Americas Zone Group I event currently underway in Lambare, Paraguay.

Playing in tough, windy conditions on the outdoor clay courts of the Yacht y Golf Club Paraguayo, the Canadian squad earned a 3-0 sweep over Cuba in their first best-of-three tie of the competition to put them atop the Group A standings. Filling in for Stéphanie Dubois (Laval, QC) who injured her hand earlier in the week, Sharon Fichman (Toronto, ON) opened proceedings with an impressive 6-2, 6-1 victory over Misleydis Diaz-Gonzalez to give Canada the early advantage. The win was Fichman’s first singles triumph in Fed Cup play since she made her debut on the team in 2005 as a 14-year-old, which made her the youngest player in Canadian Fed Cup history to sport her country’s colours. 

Aleksandra Wozniak (Blainville, QC) sealed the deal for Canada by securing a 6-3, 6-3 victory over 32-year-old veteran Yamile Fors-Guerra in the second singles match of the tie.

“The conditions were really tough today with the wind making things tricky,” Wozniak said after her win. “I really had to stay focused and adjust my shots to the conditions, but I am happy we were able to pull out the win because it sets us up for the rest of the week.”

Wozniak and Marie-Ève Pelletier (Repentigny, QC), Canada’s top-ranked female doubles player, teamed up to complete the sweep, earning a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over Fors-Guerra and Lumay Diaz Hernandez in the doubles match.

Wozniak’s two victories on Wednesday allow her to set a new Canadian Fed Cup record for most total wins with 30, surpassing the previous mark of 29 held by Sonya Jeyaseelan. In 2009, Wozniak established the Canadian Fed Cup record for most singles wins with 22.  

The Miele Canadian Fed Cup team will attempt to make it two in a row on Thursday when they take on Puerto Rico. Action gets underway at 2 p.m. local time in Paraguay. Canada will wrap up the round robin portion of the event on Friday against Brazil.

During Tuesday’s draw ceremony, the participating nations were divided into two groups (four nations in Group A, four nations in Group B) for round-robin action. The winners of each group will then face off for the chance to take part in the World Group II qualifying round in April 2010. The two lowest ranking teams will be sent to Group II of the Americas Zone in 2011. Visit www.fedcup.com for all of the latest results from the other ties.