MONTREAL - Tennis Canada is still holding out hope that its top player Eugenie Bouchard will be on court for an historic Fed Cup tie next week against the Czech Republic.Vice-president Eugene Lapierre said Bouchard, ranked seventh in the world, has yet to confirm whether or not she will play against the defending Fed Cup champions Feb. 7-8 in Quebec City.A three-woman team announced Wednesday did not include the Westmount, Que., native, but they have until two hours before the draw on Feb. 6 to finalize their roster and add a fourth player.Bouchards absence would leave little star power in the best-of-five series. The Czechs will be without their top two players, as world No. 4 Petra Kvitova and No. 16 Lucie Safarova are not on their team roster.It will be Canadas first appearance in the elite World Group I. Bouchard did much to get them there by going 4-0 in wins over Serbia and Slovakia in 2014.Its the first time were there and wed like to go to the next round and make it to the semifinals, said Lapierre. But Eugenie knows that, and shes demonstrated in the past that she likes playing in the Fed Cup. So Im sure her decision will be the good one.If Bouchard opts out, Canada will likely go with a young prospect as its fourth player.Bouchard reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open this week before falling in straight sets to Maria Sharapova.After the defeat at the first Grand Slam of the season, Bouchard was asked if she was looking forward to Fed Cup. She replied that she didnt know if she would be playing or not, adding she planned to visit with family and take some time off to rest.A reporter followed up by asking why she wouldnt play.Thats something I was going to decide after the tournament, Bouchard said. You know, my tournament ended like half an hour ago, so Im still going to talk to my team and make the best decision for me if I can play or not.It is a busy time for Bouchard, who is entered in an indoor tournament the week after the Fed Cup in Belgium.Lapierre said she may be able to do both because she is the top-ranked player in the Belgian event and may not have to play a match there until later in the week. Plus the Fed Cup is also indoors and would be good practice.He added that Canadian Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau is confident Bouchard will play.The Canadian roster includes Torontos Sharon Fichman (No. 135), 17-year-old prospect Francoise Abanda of Montreal (No. 202) and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa (ranked No. 60 in doubles).The top-ranked Czechs will be represented by Karolina Pliskova (No. 20), Tereza Smitkova (No. 68), Denisa Allertova (No. 107), and Lucie Hradecka (No. 142).The Czechs have been crowned Fed Cup champions three of the last four years.Even without Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova, the Czech team is still very dangerous, Bruneau said in a statement. They chose to go with youth. Karolina Pliskova and Tereza Smitkova are two rising stars in womens tennis and they deserve all of our respect.Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., was on the Canadian team last year but shes still recovering from shoulder surgery.Lapierre said that even without Bouchard, Canada has a chance against a Czech side lacking Fed Cup experience.Its always better to have your number one player, but that said, of the three named, two have played numerous Fed Cups, he said. For Francoise Abanda, it would be her first Fed Cup and its a tremendous opportunity for her to shine.She hasnt blossomed completely yet, but she has the talent, and playing in front of her crowd in Quebec City would be fantastic.The Czechs have a perfect 5-0 record against Canada in Fed Cup play. Their last meeting came in 2002.The winner will advance to the Fed Cup semifinals and keep a place in World Group I for 2016. The loser will play a World Group I playoff to remain among the top eight countries in the world. Albert Pujols Angels Jersey . - Diego Fagundez scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season in the 76th minute to lift the Revolution to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday night that kept New Englands playoff hopes alive. Anthony Bemboom Jersey .85 million contract with the two-time Gold Glove outfielder. Parra earned his second Gold Glove last season when he set a club record with 17 outfield assists. https://www.cheapangels.com/2003j-fred-lynn-jersey-angels.html . - The first sign that Kansas Speedway was going to be a heartbreaker for Hendrick Motorsports should have come during qualifying when Jimmie Johnson inexplicably spun and earned one of his worst starting spots since 2005. Justin Anderson Jersey . -- Chicago manager Darold Butler has a message for the Windy City. Trevor Cahill Angels Jersey ... maybe even more than that. Maybe all season I have to take a few blows.TORONTO - The American Hockey League has suspended Toronto Marlies left-winger Brad Ross for 20 games for violating the terms of the AHL/Professional Hockey Players Association performance-enhancing substances program. Ross, a 22-year-old native of Lethbridge, Alta., was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round (No. 43 overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Hes in his third season with the Leafs AHL affiliate. The Toronto Maple Leafs organization supports the AHL Substance Abuse Program and todays decision to suspend forward Brad Ross, Maple Leafs general manager David Nonis said in a statement. Our organization is diligent in its work to only provide our athletes supplements approved by the Banned Substance Control Group, and weve stressed the importance of staying within these parameters to maintain the integrity of what goes into their bodies. We are disappointed with Brad and fully support todays suspension. The AHL did not reveal any other detaails in a short release Wednesday afternoon and a message left with the Marlies was not immediately returned.dddddddddddd Ross later issued a statement on the PHPA website. ?I truly want to apologize to the entire Toronto Maple Leafs organization, my teammates, friends, family, and fans for violating the terms of the AHL/PHPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, he said. I should have been fully mindful of anything entering my body and I understand the consequences for what has occurred. However, I did not at any time intentionally attempt to enhance my performance. All I can do now is learn from this and help educate other players to avoid making the same mistake I made. I look forward to putting this behind me and getting back to playing the game I love.? Ross will be eligible to return to the lineup March 8. The six-foot-one, 183-pound forward has seven points (four goals, three assists) and 40 penalty minutes in 21 AHL games this season. ' ' '