Fed cup kicks off for 2007 this weekend. Australia back in the second tier of the world group (basically qualifiers) after belting a bunch of teenage Swiss girls (now ranked 150, 300, 500, 900) last July. Winners of those ties play the top tier losers in qualifiers later in the year.
In the top tier:
USA v Belgium
On hardcourt in Florida
No draw when I started this because of the time zone but the squads were in and it wasn’t hard to work out who will be playing singles for the Americans – Williams and Williams. Belgium would’ve been competitive if they were full strength but both Clijsters and Henin, who has won two, made the final of another and the semi in the other of her four tournaments this year, decided in February they weren’t going to play, so it’s left up to world number 132 Kirsten Flipkens and 227 Caroline Maes to take on the power of the Williams sisters (ranked 12 and 22). Then they’ve got 17 year old Yanina Wickmayer, who is named alongside 14 year old South African-born Tamaryn Hendler making up the numbers in the doubles, although if it’s somehow alive expect Maes to join Wickmayer in that one. Doubles specialists Lisa Raymond and Vania King complete the US squad.
Belgium made last year’s final by beating the Americans for the first time, but that was indoors, in Belgium, and they had Clijsters while the Americans were without Raymond and both Williams sisters (and number 3 Meghann Shaughnessy). Should be a 5-0 win for the Americans, even if King plays the dead singles rubber.
Russia v Spain
On Moscow clay
No Sharapova through injury but Kuznetsova and Petrova are top 10 players, Chakvetadze’s 11 and Vesnina’s well inside the top 100. They can all play doubles too but it’s Chakvetadze (the lowest in the doubles rankings) and Vesnina who’ve been nominated. Petrova opens proceedings against Spanish number 1 Anabel Medina Garrigues (29), then Kuznetsova against Dominguez Lino. Pous Tio and Llagostera Vives are named for the doubles but there’s no way they’ll be playing if it’s 2-2.
Anabel has a good Davis Cup record on the red stuff, but Kuznetsova made the final at Roland Garros last year, and Petrova’s got deep into that tournament a couple of times. First meeting since the days of the USSR, and the first meeting on clay, but while Medina Garrigues might pinch one, the 3-1 advantage Russia have should become 4-1, the same as the scoreboard for the tie. 4-1 to Russia.
France v Japan
More red stuff in the middle of France
Mauresmo’s missing because of appendicitis in a big blow for the hosts but Golovin, Bremond and Dechy are all top 50 players, and Razzano’s not far behind. They’ve picked Golovin and Dechy to play the singles, and despite Dechy’s ranking of 15 in doubles, it’s Golovin (115) named to play with Bremond (101) in the final match. The Sugiyama and Morigami nominated to play singles, Nakamura’s a good singles backup but it’s unknown 17 year old Ayumi Morita who will partner Sugiyama in the doubles.
The Japanese girls like the hard courts and that’s why they’re playing on clay, but the French team they’ve ended up with also perform better on the quicker surfaces. Golovin should win her singles matches but Sugiyama and Morigami can beat Dechy. Doubles is a toss up but Sugiyama’s experience might just get them over the line. 3-2 Japan
Italy v China
Clay in a place on the Achilles of the Italian boot
A blow for the defending champions with Francesca Schiavone out with an abdominal strain, the rankings say she’s their number 2 but she’s a better player than Tathiana Garbin, who is only ranked 3 spots ahead of her. Mara Santangelo is the late inclusion into the squad to partner Roberta Vinci, with Flavia Pennetta and Garbin playing singles. Who would’ve thought five years ago that China would be in the top 8 countries in women’s tennis? They will struggle in the absence of number 1 Li Na, and their top doubles pairing Zheng Jie and Yan Zi (left out to allow others to qualify for the next year’s Olympic tournament, although they read that rule wrong), so it’s the team they beat to take out the doubles title in Charleston, Peng Shuai and Sun Tian Tian who play both singles and doubles for the visitors. The mistakes are Zhang Shuai and Sun Sheng Nan.
Full strength China probably would’ve won this, but those mistakes will cost them a spot in the semis, a lot of pressure on Peng to win all three of her matches – I’ll give here two of them. 3-2 to Italy
And the second tier:
Slovak Republic v Czech Republic
More clay in Bratislava
This place only holds 4000 people and about 3900 of them will be men with very little interest in the tennis. Hantuchova basically has to win all three, because the next best player is unknown Dominika Cibulkova, although the nearly 18 year old climbed 400 spots last year, and another 30 so far this year after beating Anabel Medina Garrigues a couple of weeks ago on clay on her way to a third round loss to her now teammate Hantuchova. They’re ok in the doubles with Janette Husarova to partner Hantuchova, while they’ve plucked Bybarikova, who has a singles ranking of 335 and no doubles ranking, out of nowhere to play the dead rubber that won’t happen, since Hantuchova plays first on Sunday. Her first opponent is Lucie Safarova, then Cibulkova plays Nicole Vaidisova. I’ll just skip the ovas for the rest – Iveta Benes and Barbora Zahalav Stryc are the Czech doubles team – better players than their doubles rankings of 51 and 76 suggest.
Vaidis had a good clay court season last year, with a semi final appearance at Roland Garros before beating Golovin and Dechy in Fed Cup a few weeks later. Safar likes the surface about as much as spectators do. Hantuch really doesn’t care what surface she’s on, it’s just a question of what planet her head is on, which at the moment is this one, and that’s why the Czechs are a very good chance to again make the play offs with a 3-2 win.
Germany v Croatia
More clay, just out of Nuremberg
A couple of pretty ordinary teams here – with Martina Muller one of many female tennis players at war with their national federations and refusing to play for them, that leaves Anna-Lena Groenfeld the only player in the top 80, and she’s 1-6 for the year in singles. Jelena Kostanic Tosic is at 82 and Sandra Kloesel at 94. The other singles player was to be Sanja Ancic but she’s injured and won’t play, at least on Saturday. Karolina Sprem would’ve been picked ahead of both Ancic and the eventual choice, Ivana Lisjak, but she’s concentrating on tournament play in an attempt to regain the form she lost soon after a semi final appearance at Wimbledon 2004. Croatia have named both singles players for the doubles, while Germany have named their leftovers (Tatjana Malek and Andrea Petkovic), despite Groenfeld being in the top few in the world in doubles and having won a title in Sydney this year and gone deep into the tournaments in Melbourne and Doha. Petra Martic (16 year old not in the top 1000) is the other member of the Croatian squad.
Nobody particularly advantaged by the surface, maybe 3-2 to Germany.
Canada v Israel
Indoor carpet court a few hours drive from Vancouver.
Peer, Smashnova, Obziler good, Canadians bad. 5-0. Next
Austria v Australia
More red stuff on the Swiss border
They’ve got the world number 25, but the Austrian team’s combined Fed Cup record is 4-19, 0-7 in doubles, and 0-3 in each form for the number 25 Sybille Bammer. Australia have got the same team that got them back into World Group II, but Alicia Molik takes the number 2 singles spot and Nicole Pratt partners Rennae Stubbs in doubles and may relieve Molik if they can win it in 3. Sam Stosur is first up against Tamira Paszek – the 16 year old came through qualifying to make the second round in Melbourne, and has followed that up with round of 16 appearances at Dubai and Amelia Island, and she beat Molik in the first round in the other tournament she’s entered this year in Miami, as she did last year in Istanbul. Bammer plays Molik in a re-match of last week’s match in Charleston which the Austrian won easily, and they’ve gone with Meusberger and Paszek for the doubles, where they haven’t picked their top ranked players – but they’re only at 232.
Names say it’ll be all Australia, but Molik’s useless on clay and Stosur doesn’t particularly like it. Paszek and Bammer are both like it, but Bammer’s record in Davis Cup is a joke. Doubles should go to Australia but 3-2 Austria.
Coverage on ABC2 from 9-1 on Saturday night, 7-12 on Sunday night
In the top tier:
USA v Belgium
On hardcourt in Florida
No draw when I started this because of the time zone but the squads were in and it wasn’t hard to work out who will be playing singles for the Americans – Williams and Williams. Belgium would’ve been competitive if they were full strength but both Clijsters and Henin, who has won two, made the final of another and the semi in the other of her four tournaments this year, decided in February they weren’t going to play, so it’s left up to world number 132 Kirsten Flipkens and 227 Caroline Maes to take on the power of the Williams sisters (ranked 12 and 22). Then they’ve got 17 year old Yanina Wickmayer, who is named alongside 14 year old South African-born Tamaryn Hendler making up the numbers in the doubles, although if it’s somehow alive expect Maes to join Wickmayer in that one. Doubles specialists Lisa Raymond and Vania King complete the US squad.
Belgium made last year’s final by beating the Americans for the first time, but that was indoors, in Belgium, and they had Clijsters while the Americans were without Raymond and both Williams sisters (and number 3 Meghann Shaughnessy). Should be a 5-0 win for the Americans, even if King plays the dead singles rubber.
Russia v Spain
On Moscow clay
No Sharapova through injury but Kuznetsova and Petrova are top 10 players, Chakvetadze’s 11 and Vesnina’s well inside the top 100. They can all play doubles too but it’s Chakvetadze (the lowest in the doubles rankings) and Vesnina who’ve been nominated. Petrova opens proceedings against Spanish number 1 Anabel Medina Garrigues (29), then Kuznetsova against Dominguez Lino. Pous Tio and Llagostera Vives are named for the doubles but there’s no way they’ll be playing if it’s 2-2.
Anabel has a good Davis Cup record on the red stuff, but Kuznetsova made the final at Roland Garros last year, and Petrova’s got deep into that tournament a couple of times. First meeting since the days of the USSR, and the first meeting on clay, but while Medina Garrigues might pinch one, the 3-1 advantage Russia have should become 4-1, the same as the scoreboard for the tie. 4-1 to Russia.
France v Japan
More red stuff in the middle of France
Mauresmo’s missing because of appendicitis in a big blow for the hosts but Golovin, Bremond and Dechy are all top 50 players, and Razzano’s not far behind. They’ve picked Golovin and Dechy to play the singles, and despite Dechy’s ranking of 15 in doubles, it’s Golovin (115) named to play with Bremond (101) in the final match. The Sugiyama and Morigami nominated to play singles, Nakamura’s a good singles backup but it’s unknown 17 year old Ayumi Morita who will partner Sugiyama in the doubles.
The Japanese girls like the hard courts and that’s why they’re playing on clay, but the French team they’ve ended up with also perform better on the quicker surfaces. Golovin should win her singles matches but Sugiyama and Morigami can beat Dechy. Doubles is a toss up but Sugiyama’s experience might just get them over the line. 3-2 Japan
Italy v China
Clay in a place on the Achilles of the Italian boot
A blow for the defending champions with Francesca Schiavone out with an abdominal strain, the rankings say she’s their number 2 but she’s a better player than Tathiana Garbin, who is only ranked 3 spots ahead of her. Mara Santangelo is the late inclusion into the squad to partner Roberta Vinci, with Flavia Pennetta and Garbin playing singles. Who would’ve thought five years ago that China would be in the top 8 countries in women’s tennis? They will struggle in the absence of number 1 Li Na, and their top doubles pairing Zheng Jie and Yan Zi (left out to allow others to qualify for the next year’s Olympic tournament, although they read that rule wrong), so it’s the team they beat to take out the doubles title in Charleston, Peng Shuai and Sun Tian Tian who play both singles and doubles for the visitors. The mistakes are Zhang Shuai and Sun Sheng Nan.
Full strength China probably would’ve won this, but those mistakes will cost them a spot in the semis, a lot of pressure on Peng to win all three of her matches – I’ll give here two of them. 3-2 to Italy
And the second tier:
Slovak Republic v Czech Republic
More clay in Bratislava
This place only holds 4000 people and about 3900 of them will be men with very little interest in the tennis. Hantuchova basically has to win all three, because the next best player is unknown Dominika Cibulkova, although the nearly 18 year old climbed 400 spots last year, and another 30 so far this year after beating Anabel Medina Garrigues a couple of weeks ago on clay on her way to a third round loss to her now teammate Hantuchova. They’re ok in the doubles with Janette Husarova to partner Hantuchova, while they’ve plucked Bybarikova, who has a singles ranking of 335 and no doubles ranking, out of nowhere to play the dead rubber that won’t happen, since Hantuchova plays first on Sunday. Her first opponent is Lucie Safarova, then Cibulkova plays Nicole Vaidisova. I’ll just skip the ovas for the rest – Iveta Benes and Barbora Zahalav Stryc are the Czech doubles team – better players than their doubles rankings of 51 and 76 suggest.
Vaidis had a good clay court season last year, with a semi final appearance at Roland Garros before beating Golovin and Dechy in Fed Cup a few weeks later. Safar likes the surface about as much as spectators do. Hantuch really doesn’t care what surface she’s on, it’s just a question of what planet her head is on, which at the moment is this one, and that’s why the Czechs are a very good chance to again make the play offs with a 3-2 win.
Germany v Croatia
More clay, just out of Nuremberg
A couple of pretty ordinary teams here – with Martina Muller one of many female tennis players at war with their national federations and refusing to play for them, that leaves Anna-Lena Groenfeld the only player in the top 80, and she’s 1-6 for the year in singles. Jelena Kostanic Tosic is at 82 and Sandra Kloesel at 94. The other singles player was to be Sanja Ancic but she’s injured and won’t play, at least on Saturday. Karolina Sprem would’ve been picked ahead of both Ancic and the eventual choice, Ivana Lisjak, but she’s concentrating on tournament play in an attempt to regain the form she lost soon after a semi final appearance at Wimbledon 2004. Croatia have named both singles players for the doubles, while Germany have named their leftovers (Tatjana Malek and Andrea Petkovic), despite Groenfeld being in the top few in the world in doubles and having won a title in Sydney this year and gone deep into the tournaments in Melbourne and Doha. Petra Martic (16 year old not in the top 1000) is the other member of the Croatian squad.
Nobody particularly advantaged by the surface, maybe 3-2 to Germany.
Canada v Israel
Indoor carpet court a few hours drive from Vancouver.
Peer, Smashnova, Obziler good, Canadians bad. 5-0. Next
Austria v Australia
More red stuff on the Swiss border
They’ve got the world number 25, but the Austrian team’s combined Fed Cup record is 4-19, 0-7 in doubles, and 0-3 in each form for the number 25 Sybille Bammer. Australia have got the same team that got them back into World Group II, but Alicia Molik takes the number 2 singles spot and Nicole Pratt partners Rennae Stubbs in doubles and may relieve Molik if they can win it in 3. Sam Stosur is first up against Tamira Paszek – the 16 year old came through qualifying to make the second round in Melbourne, and has followed that up with round of 16 appearances at Dubai and Amelia Island, and she beat Molik in the first round in the other tournament she’s entered this year in Miami, as she did last year in Istanbul. Bammer plays Molik in a re-match of last week’s match in Charleston which the Austrian won easily, and they’ve gone with Meusberger and Paszek for the doubles, where they haven’t picked their top ranked players – but they’re only at 232.
Names say it’ll be all Australia, but Molik’s useless on clay and Stosur doesn’t particularly like it. Paszek and Bammer are both like it, but Bammer’s record in Davis Cup is a joke. Doubles should go to Australia but 3-2 Austria.
Coverage on ABC2 from 9-1 on Saturday night, 7-12 on Sunday night
