WTA Billie Jean King Cup

[BobbyMorri]

Anyone excited.....

So, Fed Cup this year is different. It is like the NEW Davis Cup, or the Fed cup from 30 years ago(ish). This weekend are the qualifiers for a massive tournament to be held in Budapest(Clay) on the 14th-19th of April. We, Australia, plus France, the Czech Republic(a WC, which is stupid to have WC in a tournament like this) and the hosts are already qualified, which is why we aren't playing this weekend. In an unrelated point, i am struggling to think of the 2nd Hungarian tennis player outside Babos.

This week, the teams are quite strong, thanks to it being an Olympic year. No Halep or Kerber though. Andreescu won't actually play as well.

[1] USA vs Latvia (Everett, indoor hard)
USA: Sofia Kenin, Serena Williams, Alison Riske, Coco Gauff, Bethanie Mattek-Sands (captain: Kathy Rinaldi)
LAT: Jelena Ostapenko, Anastasija Sevastova, Diana Marcinkevica, Daniela Vismane (captain: Adrians Zguns)

Netherlands vs [2] Belarus (The Hague, indoor clay)
NED: Kiki Bertens, Arantxa Rus, Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, Indy De Vroome, Demi Schuurs (captain: Paul Haarhuis)
BLR: Aryna Sabalenka, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Olga Govortsova, Anna Kubareva, Lidziya Marozava (captain: Tatiana Poutchek)

[3] Romania vs Russia (Cluj-Napoca, indoor hard)
ROU: Ana Bogdan, Irina Bara, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Jaqueline Cristian, Raluca Olaru (captain: Florin Segarceanu)
RUS: Ekaterina Alexandrova, Veronika Kudermetova, Anna Blinkova, Anna Kalinskaya (captain: Igor Andreev)

Brazil vs [4] Germany (Florianopolis, outdoor clay)
BRA: Gabriela Ce, Teliana Pereira, Laura Pigossi, Carolina Alves, Luisa Stefani (captain: Roberta Burzagli)
GER: Laura Siegemund, Tatjana Maria, Anna-Lena Friedsam, Antonia Lottner (captain: Rainer Schuettler)

[5] Spain vs Japan (Cartagena, outdoor clay)
ESP: Carla Suárez Navarro, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Aliona Bolsova, Lara Arruabarrena, Georgina Garcia Perez (captain: Anabel Medina Garrigues)
JPN: Naomi Osaka, Misaki Doi, Kurumi Nara, Ena Shibahara, Shuko Aoyama (captain: Toshihisa Tsuchihashi)

[6] Switzerland vs Canada (Biel/Bienne, indoor hard)
SUI: Belinda Bencic, Jil Teichmann, Viktorija Golubic, Stefanie Voegele, Timea Bacsinszky (captain: Heinz Guenthardt)
CAN: Bianca Andreescu, Leylah Fernandez, Eugenie Bouchard, Gabriela Dabrowski (captain: Heidi El Tabakh)

[7] Belgium vs Kazakhstan (Kortrijk, indoor hard)
BEL: Elise Mertens, Kirsten Flipkens, Greet Minnen, Ysaline Bonaventure (captain: Johan Van Herck)
KAZ: Yulia Putintseva, Zarina Diyas, Anna Danilina, Yaroslava Shvedova (captain: Dias Doskarayev)

Slovakia vs [8] Great Britain (Bratislava, indoor clay)
SVK: Viktoria Kuzmova, Jana Cepelova, Magdalena Rybarikova, Schmieds, Rebecca Sramkova (captain: Matej Liptak)
GBR: Heather Watson, Harriet Dart, Naiktha Bains, Katie Swan, Emma Raducanu (captain: Anne Keothavong)

More info

Fed Cup 2020: Who's playing where?

Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Sofia Kenin and Belinda Bencic are among the players featuring in this weekend's eight Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Qualifiers that will determine which teams move forward into April's inaugural Fed Cup Finals in Budapest.

www.wtatennis.com

The winners make the finals, who will be separated by 4 groups of 3 teams, with the top teams making it to the semis.

And the answer to a Hungarian 2nd player is Fanny Stollár. Singles ranking of around 370. I remember her now, but only by the name

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Honestly, I did not realise they'd changed the format. I though they were determined not just to follow what the men did? Will keep an eye on it now I know it's on!

 

[BobbyMorri]

What the.....6-0 to Sara Sorribes Tormo....What......

 

[BobbyMorri]

just going to leave this here.

2-0 are the Swiss, Slovaks and Spanish

Everyone else is 1-1 apart from Brazil and USA, who haven't played yet.

 

[BobbyMorri]

Good Fed Cup tie between USA and Latvia still going. Serena being tested by Sevastova while Ostapenko beat Kenin to make it 2-1 for USA.

Elsewhere

 

[BobbyMorri]

well. Should be a good doubles tie. shame I can't watch it. silly TV rights. It is not on Kayo

 

[juice t]

Can't overlook Ostapenko putting in her randomly brilliant performance to knock off Kenin

 

[BobbyMorri]

the yanks won in the end. their talent depth in the womens game is scary. Some good players are going to miss the Olympics

Serena will have to have a good year to make the team. IIRC Only the top 3 players make it from a nation. A recent grand winner(Kenin, Sloane, Serena) or Keys will miss. And that is not taking into account Riske, who is a real wildcard this year

 

[LukeParkerno1]

the yanks won in the end. their talent depth in the womens game is scary. Some good players are going to miss the Olympics

Serena will have to have a good year to make the team. IIRC Only the top 3 players make it from a nation. A recent grand winner(Kenin, Sloane, Serena) or Keys will miss. And that is not taking into account Riske, who is a real wildcard this year

Sloane will miss. Serena at least can play doubles.

 

[BobbyMorri]

The draw is out



Every nation, bar the host, would be strong if their big players turn up.

 

[BobbyMorri]

been postponed til 2021.

I was wondering what was going on with this. I checked earlier this week.

 

[BobbyMorri]

Name change. You really can't complain about it. well, it is a mouthful, but apart from that

Fed Cup changes name to honor Billie Jean King

The Fed Cup is changing its name to honor tennis great Billie Jean King, the woman whose lifelong battle for equality and social justice laid the foundation for generations that followed.

www.espn.com.au

 

[BobbyMorri]

This starts this week (1st November)

Now hosted in Czechia. I will be honest, there are a lot of big names missing. Not a shock after such a long year. But Schmieds is playing

teams are here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020%E2%80%9321_Billie_Jean_King_Cup_Finals

The Australian squad is Ajla Tomljanovic, Storm Sanders, Ellen Perez, Olivia Gadecki, Priscilla Hon and Daria Gavrilova, with Alicia Molik serving as team captain. It is not bad considering the issues with travel. Dasha is playing her first matches since the Aus Open. Not sure if we can beat Belgium in our group. Mertens might be too strong in singles and doubles.

Reckon the Czechs will win it at home.

 

[BobbyMorri]

Storm Sanders beat Elise Mertens!!!!

 

[matt_897]

That was a nice result to wake too. Our B squad. Not a bad effort.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

That was a nice result to wake too. Our B squad. Not a bad effort.

Aija was ill (not COVID related), she'll be available for the next tie on Thursday.

On a serious note how good is Dokic as a commentator/host. Really knows her stuff been a fan of her work.

 

[juice t]

Just knocked off Belarus in both singles rubbers and they’re through to the Semis

 

[matt_897]

Making the semis without Ash seems silly

 

[Hamingja]

You can guarantee if Barty plays next year we will draw the Czech Republic and Russia or something stupid like that instead of Belgium and Belarus.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

You can guarantee if Barty plays next year we will draw the Czech Republic and Russia or something stupid like that instead of Belgium and Belarus.

To be fair Belgium has Bertens and Belarus has a few including Azarenka

 

[BobbyMorri]

yeah, got thrashed in the semis.

Swiss v (not) Russia final.

 

[BobbyMorri]

And it is (Not) Russia who (doesn't) win their 6th Fed/BLK Cup. Won 2-0 with a late change by subbing Pav out for Samsonova who has a good record against Bencic.

 

[BobbyMorri]

World ranking of 1.

Yay us.

 

[matt_897]

I know this hasn't really been followed here but Storm Sanders almost single handily taking us to the final is a pretty incredible story. Lost to Switerzland in the final.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

I know this hasn't really been followed here but Storm Sanders almost single handily taking us to the final is a pretty incredible story. Lost to Switerzland in the final.

Were never beating Switzerland with Bencic playing