- Moderator
- #1
So this starts tomorrow. Sometimes you have to get lucky and we did when Svitolina and Tsunrenko decided not to turn up. Should be an easy win for us in Canberra this week with only the Burnie winner, 15YO, Marta Kostyuk the only threat in the singles. I cant see her winning both ties against Barty or Dasha.
Teams here.
A small preview of the other matches.
WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND
BELARUS v GERMANY
Venue: Chizhovka Arena, Minsk, BLR (hard - indoor)
Belarus
Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Aryna Sabalenka
Vera Lapko
Lidziya Marozava
Captain:
Eduard Dubrou
Germany
Tatjana Maria
Anna-Lena Friedsam
Anna-Lena Groenefeld
Captain:
Jens Gerlach
Belarus will beat a weak German team.
CZECH REPUBLIC v SWITZERLAND
Venue: O2 Arena, Prague, CZE (hard - indoor)
Czech Republic
Karolina Pliskova
Barbora Strycova
Petra Kvitova
Lucie Safarova
Captain:
Petr Pala
Switzerland
Timea Bacsinszky
Belinda Bencic
Viktorija Golubic
Jil Teichmann
Captain:
Heinz Guenthardt
If the Czech team wants to win the Fed Cup, they will win. Strong team and they will win. Timea is just back from injury.
FRANCE v BELGIUM
Venue: Vendéspace, LA ROCHE SUR YON, FRA (hard - indoor)
France
Kristina Mladenovic
Pauline Parmentier
Amandine Hesse
Captain:
Yannick Noah
Belgium
Elise Mertens
Kirsten Flipkens
Alison Van Uytvanck
Ysaline Bonaventure
Captain:
Dominique Monami
Only 3 players for France......Mertens will lead Belgium to victory. Reckon Cornet was named but had to withdraw.
USA v NETHERLANDS
Venue: US Cellular Arena, Asheville, USA (hard - indoor)
Netherlands
Richel Hogenkamp
Arantxa Rus
Lesley Kerkhove
Demi Schuurs
Captain:
Paul Haarhuis
USA
Venus Williams
Coco Vandeweghe
Lauren Davis
Serena Williams
Captain: Kathy Rinaldi
The court is meant to be a pile of s**t. I reckon if the US knew that this would be Serena's first match back, it wouldn't be held in Asheville. USA will win and Serena will struggle but win if she plays.
WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND
SLOVAKIA v RUSSIA
Venue: AEGON Arena, Bratislava, SVK (hard - indoor)
Slovakia
Magdalena Rybarikova
Jana Cepelova
Viktoria Kuzmova
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
Captain: Matej Liptak
Russia
Natalia Vikhlyantseva
Anna Kalinskaya
Anastasia Potapova
Veronika Kudermetova
Captain:
Anastasia Myskina
Russia weak team. Slovakia has Schmieds so Slovakia all the way. Vikhlyantseva is the key for Russia and I not sure she can win 2 matches.
AUSTRALIA v UKRAINE
Venue: Canberra Tennis Centre, Canberra, AUS (grass - outdoor)
Australia
Ashleigh Barty
Daria Gavrilova
Destanee Aiava
Casey Dellacqua
Captain: Alicia Molik
Ukraine
Marta Kostyuk
Lyudmyla Kichenok
Nadiia Kichenok
Dasha Lopatetskaya
Captain: Mikhail Filima
Next.
ROMANIA v CANADA
Venue: Sala Polivalenta Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, ROU (hard - indoor)
Romania
Simona Halep
Sorana Cirstea
Irina-Camelia Begu
Raluca Olaru
Captain:
Florin Segarceanu
Canada
Carol Zhao
Bianca Andreescu
Katherine Sebov
Gabriela Dabrowski
Captain:
Sylvain Bruneau
Halep is not playing. Still, Canada is really weak and Romania are really strong, even without their best player.
ITALY v SPAIN
Venue: Pala Tricalle "Sandro Leombroni", Chieti, ITA (clay - indoor)
Italy
Sara Errani
Jasmine Paolini
Deborah Chiesa
Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Captain:
Tathiana Garbin
Spain
Carla Suarez Navarro
Lara Arruabarrena
Georgina Garcia-Perez
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez
Captain:
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Spain. Weak Italy team. Arruabarrena is at least a top 100 player
Teams here.
A small preview of the other matches.
WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND
BELARUS v GERMANY
Venue: Chizhovka Arena, Minsk, BLR (hard - indoor)
Belarus
Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Aryna Sabalenka
Vera Lapko
Lidziya Marozava
Captain:
Eduard Dubrou
Germany
Tatjana Maria
Anna-Lena Friedsam
Anna-Lena Groenefeld
Captain:
Jens Gerlach
Belarus will beat a weak German team.
CZECH REPUBLIC v SWITZERLAND
Venue: O2 Arena, Prague, CZE (hard - indoor)
Czech Republic
Karolina Pliskova
Barbora Strycova
Petra Kvitova
Lucie Safarova
Captain:
Petr Pala
Switzerland
Timea Bacsinszky
Belinda Bencic
Viktorija Golubic
Jil Teichmann
Captain:
Heinz Guenthardt
If the Czech team wants to win the Fed Cup, they will win. Strong team and they will win. Timea is just back from injury.
FRANCE v BELGIUM
Venue: Vendéspace, LA ROCHE SUR YON, FRA (hard - indoor)
France
Kristina Mladenovic
Pauline Parmentier
Amandine Hesse
Captain:
Yannick Noah
Belgium
Elise Mertens
Kirsten Flipkens
Alison Van Uytvanck
Ysaline Bonaventure
Captain:
Dominique Monami
Only 3 players for France......Mertens will lead Belgium to victory. Reckon Cornet was named but had to withdraw.
USA v NETHERLANDS
Venue: US Cellular Arena, Asheville, USA (hard - indoor)
Netherlands
Richel Hogenkamp
Arantxa Rus
Lesley Kerkhove
Demi Schuurs
Captain:
Paul Haarhuis
USA
Venus Williams
Coco Vandeweghe
Lauren Davis
Serena Williams
Captain: Kathy Rinaldi
The court is meant to be a pile of s**t. I reckon if the US knew that this would be Serena's first match back, it wouldn't be held in Asheville. USA will win and Serena will struggle but win if she plays.
WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND
SLOVAKIA v RUSSIA
Venue: AEGON Arena, Bratislava, SVK (hard - indoor)
Slovakia
Magdalena Rybarikova
Jana Cepelova
Viktoria Kuzmova
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
Captain: Matej Liptak
Russia
Natalia Vikhlyantseva
Anna Kalinskaya
Anastasia Potapova
Veronika Kudermetova
Captain:
Anastasia Myskina
Russia weak team. Slovakia has Schmieds so Slovakia all the way. Vikhlyantseva is the key for Russia and I not sure she can win 2 matches.
AUSTRALIA v UKRAINE
Venue: Canberra Tennis Centre, Canberra, AUS (grass - outdoor)
Australia
Ashleigh Barty
Daria Gavrilova
Destanee Aiava
Casey Dellacqua
Captain: Alicia Molik
Ukraine
Marta Kostyuk
Lyudmyla Kichenok
Nadiia Kichenok
Dasha Lopatetskaya
Captain: Mikhail Filima
Next.
ROMANIA v CANADA
Venue: Sala Polivalenta Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, ROU (hard - indoor)
Romania
Simona Halep
Sorana Cirstea
Irina-Camelia Begu
Raluca Olaru
Captain:
Florin Segarceanu
Canada
Carol Zhao
Bianca Andreescu
Katherine Sebov
Gabriela Dabrowski
Captain:
Sylvain Bruneau
Halep is not playing. Still, Canada is really weak and Romania are really strong, even without their best player.
ITALY v SPAIN
Venue: Pala Tricalle "Sandro Leombroni", Chieti, ITA (clay - indoor)
Italy
Sara Errani
Jasmine Paolini
Deborah Chiesa
Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Captain:
Tathiana Garbin
Spain
Carla Suarez Navarro
Lara Arruabarrena
Georgina Garcia-Perez
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez
Captain:
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Spain. Weak Italy team. Arruabarrena is at least a top 100 player