Canada tied 1-1 with Kazakhstan after Day 1 of Fed Cup World Group II

MONTREAL — Canada’s Francoise Abanda downed Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to end the day tied 1-1 at the Fed Cup World Group II playoff.

Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., lost the first match of the day against Yulia Putintseva, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6.

Abanda played an aggressive style and relied on her strong service game to tally six aces throughout the match. She fired a crucial ace towards the end of the second set and converted on her fourth try to eventually take the match.

“I am very pleased with my result today,” Abanda said. “It was an important match for Canada and I am glad that I was able to even out the score after Day 1. My game plan was to stay concentrated and to execute on all my shots. Today was a good day for me.”