Teenage star of Canada's first Billie Jean King Cup title

Marina Stakusic

Right-handed, two-handed backhand — the Mississauga native went 3–1 as an 18-year-old world No. 258 in Seville to help Canada win the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup, and has since climbed inside the top 120.

Career-High Rank

No. 114

24 FEB 2025

Current Rank

No. 125

4 MAY 2026

Age

B. 27 NOV 2004

Turned Pro

2022

MISSISSAUGA, CAN

Career Trajectory

2023 Won three ITF titles in six weeks (Valladolid W25, Berkeley W60, Toronto W60) between September and October.
2023 Billie Jean King Cup champion — as an 18-year-old ranked No. 258, went 3–1 in Seville with wins over Rebeka Masarova, Magdalena Fręch and Martina Trevisan as Canada lifted the trophy for the first time.
2024 First WTA 125 title at the Abierto Tampico in October.
2025 Career-high ranking of No. 114 in February; later beat world No. 12 Jeļena Ostapenko en route to the WTA 500 Guadalajara quarterfinals and won the Guanajuato W100 title in November.
2026 Qualified for her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the Australian Open, then made her WTA 1000 main-draw debut at Indian Wells in March.

Surface Split

HARD

CLAY

All five pro singles titles won on hard courts Reached Roland Garros Q3 in 2024 One Wimbledon main draw (2024)

Quick Facts

Birthplace

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Residence

Mississauga, Ontario

Height

174 cm (5'9")

Plays

Right-handed

Backhand

Two-handed

Best Slam

1R — Wimbledon 2024, Australian Open 2026

The Breakthrough

When Canada arrived in Seville for the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, Stakusic was an 18-year-old ranked No. 258 who had never beaten a top-100 player. Captain Heidi El Tabakh started her anyway — and the gamble defined the week. Stakusic routed world No. 65 Rebeka Masarova 6-3, 6-1 in the opening tie against host Spain, came from a set down to beat Poland's Magdalena Fręch the next day, and in the final against Italy dispatched Martina Trevisan 7-5, 6-3, letting four match points slip before closing with a forehand winner. Alongside Leylah Fernandez, she had delivered Canada's first Billie Jean King Cup title.

"This has been the best experience of my life." — To the crowd after the final in Seville, 2023 (via Olympic.ca)

The climb since has been steady rather than sudden: a first WTA 125 title in Tampico in late 2024, a career-high No. 114 in February 2025, a top-20 win over Jeļena Ostapenko at the Guadalajara 500, and qualifying runs into her first Grand Slam and WTA 1000 main draws in early 2026. By the week of May 4, 2026 — the week featured here — she stood at No. 125, back within reach of her career-best ground after an injury-interrupted start to the season.

In Her Own Words

"This is such a special feeling and makes me believe that I belong here."

ON BEATING REBEKA MASAROVA, BJK CUP FINALS 2023 · ESPN

"I'm glad I was able to stay calm during the match."

ON-COURT INTERVIEW AFTER HER OPENING WIN IN SEVILLE, 2023 · CBC SPORTS

"Hopefully in the next few years I'll win WTA tournaments and Grand Slams."

ON HER GOALS AFTER THE BJK CUP TITLE, NOV 2023 · CBC SPORTS

Playing Style

Aggressive baseline game Forehand as primary weapon Two-handed backhand Composed on big stages Hard-court title record

Sources: Wikipedia (Marina Stakusic) · WTA Tour player profile · ESPN, "Marina Stakusic helps Canada top host Spain at BJK Cup Finals" (Nov 2023) · Olympic.ca / Team Canada, "Fernandez and Stakusic propel Canada to first-ever Billie Jean King Cup title" (Nov 2023) · CBC Sports, "Canadian teen Marina Stakusic breaks out on big stage at Billie Jean King Cup" (Nov 2023) · CBC Sports, "Canada's Stakusic eyes more success after breakout performance" (Nov 2023) · Tennis Canada news, 2026.
Compiled from public match reporting and official tour data — no private or unpublished sources used.