Ruissia and The CzehcRepublic will kick-off their quest for Fed Cup glory tomorrow in their opening encounters. The Czech Republic are the defending champions after defeating Russia 3-2 in last year’s final, however, they face a much tough opening match than their Russian rivals.
Czech Republic Vs Romania
Venue: Sala Polivalenta Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
The Czech Republic has a tough opening match against Romania. The Romanian team was recently strengthened after Simona Halep announced that she will delay surgery to participate in the tie. The draw is full of talent with six out of the eight participating players being ranked in the top-60 (four from the Czech Republic and two from Romania).
The encounter will only be the second meeting between the two countries in Fed Cup history, first since 1980. The Czech Republic might be the strong favorite, however, their captain is aware of the how dangerous the Romanians will be.
“We’ve got a tough opponent, it will be a totally balanced,” Team captain Petr Pala told idnes.cz.
“It is the third player in the world, she’s very solid. Let’s see what happens on the court, but we have such a strong lineup that we can beat them with Halep.” He later added.
Teams:
Romania: Simona Halep (No.3), Monica Niculescu (No.37), Andreea Mitu (No.104) and Raluca Olaru (double No.45).
The Czech Republic: Petra Kvitova (No.9), Karolina Pliskova (No.13), Barbora Strycova (No.41) and Denisa Allertova (No.59).
Russia Vs The Netherlands
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia
Russia is expected to have a straightforward encounter against the Netherlands. The Dutch team secured their place in the top tier of the Fed Cup after defeating Australia 4-1 in the World Group playoffs. They have reached the finals in the tournament twice before with the most recent occurring in 1997.
The Russian team will be lead by Svetlana kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova. There has been uncertainty about Sharapova’s Fed Cup commitment following comments she made in Australia. Despite the comments, she has been confirmed in the team. Meanwhile, the Dutch team doesn’t have a player ranked inside the current top 100. Leading the group is world No.106 Kiki Bertens. Bertens has been ranked as high as 43rd in her career. Dutch Fed Cup captain, Paul Haarhuis, also openly admitted that his team’s chances are low.
“Yes, Russia is certainly the favorite and it will be more than bad luck if the Russians lost”. He told Rsport.ru.
The tie will be the first match between the two countries since 1990.
Teams:
Russia: Maria Sharapova (No.6), Svetlana Kuznetsova (No.17), Ekaterina Makarova (31) and Darya Kasatkina (No.61).
The Netherlands: Kiki Bertens (No.106), Richel Hogenkamp (No.141), Cindy Burger (No.185) and Arantza Rus (No.287).
