TENNIS – The two semifinals of the 2015 Fed Cup will be held on a very busy tennis weekend which also features the Play-offs. Sochi will play host to the semifinal between Germany and Russia, while Czech Republic will play at home in Ostrava against France. The other highlight of the weekend will be Serena Williams’ appearance for the USA against Italy in the Play-Off match in Brindisi Diego Sampaolo
Sochi will host the Fed Cup semifinal between four time champions from Russia and last year’s semifinal from Germany.
Unfortunately Russia will be without Maria Sharapova who picked up a leg injury in Miami. Russian captain Anastasya Myskina can rely on a strong team which features Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova who will face Julia Georges and Sabine Lisicki respectively in their first rubber matches on Saturday. German captain Barbara Rittner picked Georges and Georges for Saturday’s opening matches instead of Andrea Petkovic and Angelique Kerber who played in Charleston last week. The German team could have a chance to reach their second consecutive Fed Cup final after losing last November to Czech Republic. Germany has three players in the top-20. Lisicki performed well in Indian Wells and Kerber won the Charleston title. Germany has not won the Fed Cup title for 22 years and they have the chance to end a long drought this year.
Petkovic and Kerber are expected to team up in the doubles against Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva.
Ostrava will host the other semifinal between defending champions from Czech Republic and France. Petra Kvitova, who contributed to last year’s triumph against Germany, will make her come-back after a two-month break due to exhaustion. The 2014 Wimbledon champion will face Kristina Mladenovic in the second rubber match. Twenty-one year-old Mladenovic upset Kvitova for a straight set win the quarter finals at the Paris Indoor Open in 2013.
“I am feeling better than better. I hope that the break helped me. I hope I am going to be ready.Every practice has been perfect. The match is always different but I hope it is going to be smooth”, said Kvitova.
Lucie Safarova, last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist, will take on Caroline Garcia in the first rubber match. Garcia has always performed well in Fed Cup matches winning six of her seven rubbers. Karolina Pliskova is expected to team up with Barbora Strykova in the doubles match against Alizé Cornet and Pauline Parmentier.
Last February France recovered from 0-2 down after the first day to upset Italy in the first round of the World Group with 3-2. Mladenovic’s s win over Sara Errani in Genua is one of the main possible reasons behind the choice made by French captain Amelie Mauresmo to opt for Mladenovic instead of Alizé Cornet.
One the highlights of the weekend will be Serena Williams’ appearance in the Fed Cup Play-Off between the USA and Italy in Brindisi, the home town of Italian star Flavia Pennetta.
Williams will open her European clay season against Camila Giorgi who has been chosen by Italian captain Corrado Barazzutti instead of home favourite Flavia Pennetta. Williams defeated Giorgi in their only match in 2013 but Giorgi is in good form as she reached her second consecutive final in Katowice last week.
“Clay is my favourite surface. My clay court game feels great. After Miami I started working out because clay court season is right there. I have been practicing and getting ready for this”, said Williams
In the second singles rubber Lauren Davis will meet 2012 Roland Garros finalist Sara Errani. Davis has replaced Venus Williams who pulled out earlier this week.
Christina McHale and Alison Riske have been name by US captain Mary Jo Fernandez for the doubles match against home favourite Flavia Pennetta and Karin Knapp.
Italy and the USA have met four times in the past six years. These two teams played two consecutive finals in 2009 and 2010. Italy won all these four head-to-head matches but the US team lead 9-4 in all 13 matches.
In the Play-offs teams will fight for a spot in next year’s World Group.
The other news story is the come-back of Swiss legend Martina Hingis who will make her first appearance in a Fed Cup match since 1998 playing her first competitive esingles match since 2007 when Switzerland will play against Poland in the Play-off match. She was drawn against Agniewska Radwanska in the opening singles match on Saturday.
Hingis has decided to play in the Fed Cup in order to be eligible for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Hingis, who plays regularly in the circuit in doubles tournaments, will make her appearance in the singles but she has ruled out a return to singles tournaments in the WTA circuit in the future. Hingis is seeking a partner for the mixed doubles tournament next year at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and has approached both Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka as potential partners for what could be a fascinating doubles mixed team.
Former Number 1s Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic and Alexandra Krunic will lead 2012 Fed Cup finalist Serbia against Paraguay in Novi Sad in their attempt to return to the World Group. The Spanish team who suffered the withdrawals of their top star Carla Suarez Navarro and Garbine Muguruza will face a tough test against Argentina in Buenos Aires. Eugenie Bouchard will lead Canada in her home city Montreal in the Play-off match against Romania which will be without Simona Halep but will rely on strong players like Irina Camelia Begu and Alexandra Dulgheru.