2016 Fed Cup

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Teams are in for this weekend's tie against Slovakia, and holy ******* s**t we've selected Arina Rodionova to play two singles matches. Good luck with that, Molik.

Schmiedlova vs. Rodionova
Cepelova vs. Stosur
Schmiedlova vs. Stosur
Cepelova vs. Rodionova
Cepelova/Hantuchova vs. Stosur/Dellacqua

17 year old Kimberly Birrell is our fourth. Cibulkova named but not playing any matches at this stage for Slovakia.

 

[Hamingja]

It is a sorry state of affairs that Dellacqua is 30 years old and we haven't been able to produce a local top 100 player on the women's side since she came through as a junior.

Not even female equivalents of Groth/Ebden/Matosevic/Duckworth types that drift in/out of the top 100.

Interesting that Stosur and Dellacqua have 3/6 record in doubles. You'd think they'd make a pretty formidable team given their own success in doubles.

 

[vaughany]

Looks like 7two are going to broadcast the matches live tonight.
Trying to optimistic but on paper Australia will be lucky scrap through with one victory during this tie.
I assume Wolfe is still injured?
Tomljanovic must be ineligible like Gavrilova? ITF rules preventing her from playing for Australia...

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Going to try and watch a bit of this tonight but expectations are not high.

 

[vaughany]

Woodbridge and Bratke commentating from what looks to be the ch7 footy game day studios in Australia

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

 

[Amazing Bombers]

AKS's serve.

 

[Amazing Bombers]

Rodionova gets the break and is up 5-4 in the first set.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Rodionova gets the break and is up 5-4 in the first set.

It's not a break until you hold your own serve... 5-5

 

[Amazing Bombers]

Rodionova wins first set 7-5.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Can see why these two teams are not in the world group, pretty average tennis so far

 

[hamohawk1]

what surface is this played on!?
looks extremely slow

 

[Hamingja]

7-5 4-1 up and lost. Ouch. No expectations going in but still.

Stosur beat Cepelova in straights.

It will be interesting to see who plays reverse against Stosur. Stosur hasn't lost a set in 5 meetings against Cibulkova and 2 against Schmiedlova. Unlikely they'd turn to Hantuchova but Sam has a 7-1 h2h against her too with the loss at their first meeting in 2003.

 

[Hamingja]

So just a random statistical thought Stosur is 16-2 H2H against the 4 Slovaks and 4-20 H2H against the Czechs ( Kvitova, Safarova, Pliskova x 2). Kvitova is a different class but the rest would pair off reasonably evenly across their careers.

 

[JackNah_8]

It's a shame Dasha can't play Fed Cup with us because women's tennis here is average. we only really have Stosur that can do well in the singles.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

what surface is this played on!?
looks extremely slow

It a hard court but, yes, it is very slow. The surface is like very rough sandpaper apparently. Stosur commented pre-match that she's never seen anything like it.

I bailed out after the first set of the Rodianova match, it was just horrible to watch. Rodianova is not very good and Schmiedlova was playing very badly, her serving had completely deserted her. Add this to the slow courts and it was awful. If Dellacqua is fit enough to play the doubles surely she would have been a better choice than Rodianova. for singles.

Really wanted to watch Sam's match but couldn't stay up that late. Good to see she won comfortably.

Also the Fanatics conspicuous by their absence.

 

[BobbyMorri]

well well well, Netherlands beat Russia.

And the Russians had a pretty good team in as well. Kuznetsova and Makarova. The Netherlands had no one in the top 100.

Stosur pooing it up. lost the first set 6-1.

(i have gone early)

 

[BobbyMorri]

well, yes, 5-3 in the first set.

the match where Hogenkamp defeated Kuznetsova went for 4 hours. 7-6 5-7 10-8

She loves an old dogfight Kuznetsova. i remember that game she had with Schiavone, which was also the longest match for women in GS history.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Stosur playing better now

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Yes!!! Stoser wins the first set in a tie-breaker Come on Sam!!!

 

[BobbyMorri]

Watch this space. Sharapova has withdrawn from the doubles she was meant to play. she is actually injured, hence why she didnt play singles. she has the requirements to play the Olympics(u need to be in the team 3 times, but not play), but i quote

If Sharapova wants to compete at the Olympics she has to play for Russia in the Fed Cup,” Shamil Tarpishchev said, according to AFP. “That’s the rule, and she needs either to play against Netherlands or in Russia’s next Fed Cup match if we manage to go through

I dont know if this is the same bloke who played the Russian under 16 team against Australia a couple years back but the Russian Tennis dudes dont have a great track record. still, she has another chance to please Shamil i think, with the WG playoffs in April.

i had faith in Sam the whole way. never wrote her off once. she is playing quite well atm. forehand killing it.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Gahhhh... Sam is so hot and cold!!! Sooo incredibly frustrating to watch

 

[BobbyMorri]

She is the better player in this surface.

bang bang. 2 runaround forehands down the line. sam US and French open like from a couple years ago.

 

[BobbyMorri]

7-6 7-5. stosur loves this kind of surface. she grew and grew in confidence and she was just about running to her forehand every chance she had in the end.

Birrell been rumored for the next tie. i am not against it. lets be honest, Cibulkova will beat whoever she plays. might as well get some fresh legs out there.

 

[BobbyMorri]

wow, 7 couldnt even send a reporter........

i think i saw Birrell on the bench, so i reckon it will be Rodionova, but who knows. it is not like we have a reporter on the ground informing us.

Nope, it is Birrell.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

7-6 7-5. stosur loves this kind of surface. she grew and grew in confidence and she was just about running to her forehand every chance she had in the end.

Birrell been rumored for the next tie. i am not against it. lets be honest, Cibulkova will beat whoever she plays. might as well get some fresh legs out there.

Yes, more hot than cold from Sam in the end so all is good The surface played int her hands.

I agree, might as well give Birrell a go. Don't think I'll be able to see this out though, well past my bedtime already