Fed Cup Preview – World Group Playoffs

The World Group Playoffs will be underway this weekend as teams battle it out for a place in the World Group 2007.

World Group Playoffs

Japan vs Austria

The extremely experienced Japanese team will take on a weakened Austria team as only one of the players in the Austrian side has ever played for Fed Cup. The other nominees for the Europpean country include two unranked players aged 15 and 16, respectively Nikola Hofmanova and Melanie Klaffner. these two girls teens will play right nex to Barbara Schwartz the veteran who carries a 9-4 record in Fed Cup ties having claimed wins over Jelena Dokic, Lisa Raymond, Monica Seles, Megahnn Shaughnessy and Iva Majoli. Japan has one of the strongest teams in the playoffs with Sugiyama and Morigami, who have been making waves lately on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Sugiyama defeated Martina Hingis in the third round of Wimbledon and Morigami bea nadia petrova in the opening round of Roland Garros. In the head-to-head Japan leads the series 3-2, but Austria has claimed the last two meetings back in 1990 and 1986.

The nominees are:

Japan:

Ai Sugiyama

Akiko Morigami

Aiko Nakamura

Shinobu Asagoe

Sugiyama and Morigami will play singles while Sugiyama and Asagoe will play the doubles rubber together.

Austria:

Barbara Schwartz

Melanie Klaffner

Nikola Hofmanova

Schwartz and Klaffner will play singles and in the doubles rubber Klaffner will partner Hofmanova to face the Japanese team.

France vs Czech Republic

In one of the clashes that can bring an upset, relegated France will play the solid team from Czech Republic composed by teen star Nicole Vaidisova, Lucie Safarova, Kveta Peschke and Iveta Benesova. From France, and after Mauresmo’s withdrawal due to injury, Nathalie Dechy and Tatiana Golovin alongside with surprising Wimbledon surprise Severine Bremond and Emilie Loit will try to secure a World Cup berth. But this will be a tough tie. Teams are tied at 2 all with the last meeting coming in 2001 when France won 3-0. The two meetings Czech Republic won the country still didn’t exist as it was before Slovakia and Czech Republic became seperate countries.

The nominations are:

France:

Nathalie Dechy

Tatiana Golovin

Severina Bremond

Emilie Loit

Czech Republic:

Nicole Vaidisova

Lucie Safarova

Kveta Peschke

Iveta Benesova

China vs Germany

One of the emerging tennis nations will face off a traditional tennis country who has been slowly getting back to the old glory provided by Steffi Graf and Anke Huber. Groenefeld is their next generation player and looks very promising for the future. But this blonde hard-hitter will not take part in the tie. Germany is then exposed to the fearless tennis of the Chinese girls, who must be full with confidence after their Wimbledon breakthrough when Na Li advanced to the quarterfinals marking the first time any Chinese player went that deep into a Grand Slam. Germany, however, holds the head-to-head lead by 2-0.

The players nomiated for the squads are:

China:

Na Li

Tian Tian Sun

Jie Zheng

Zi Yan

Li and Zheng will play the singles rubbers while Sun/Yan will play the doubles rubber.

Germany:

Jasmin Woerh

Kathrin Woerle

Kristina Barrois

Tatiana Malek

Barrois and Woerle will play singles while Woerh and Malek are scheduled to play the doubles rubber.

Croatia vs Russia

It may look like a clean win by Russia, but look closer. Russia only holds one of their greatest, Elena Dementieva, all other players have yet to taste Fed Cup action with the exception of Duschevina. Crotia on the other hand will rely on big serving Karolina Sprem to carry the proceedings in favour of Croatia. Appearing on Fed Cup nominations for the first time are Elena Vesnina and Anna Chakvetadze. However, if Dementieva repeats her 2005 showing over France Crotia should better hand a walkover as almost a year ago the beautiful blone player rolled over Mary Pierce and Amelie Mauresmo in singles and doubles to pull off a 3-2 win for Russia in the final. In the ehad-to-head teams are tied at 1 all and their last meeting came in 2003 when Russian won 4-1, helped by Myskina and Dementieva.

The Official nominations:

Croatia:

Karolina Sprem

Ivana Lisjak

Sanja Ancic

Matea Mazek

Playing singles for Crotia will be surprisingly enough Ivana Lisjak and Sanja Ancic. For te doubles Sprem will partner Mazek.

Russia:

Elena Dementieva

Elena Vesnina

Anna Chakvetadze

Vera Duschevina

Dementieva and Chakvetadze will play singles while Vesnina and Duschevina will have the doubles honour.

Note that the scheduled players may be changed up to an hour before the rubber so the players assigned for singles and doubles can differ from the ones pointed above. For extra information go to: www.fedcup.com