Hello and Goodbye: The Fed Cup

by Savannah

The Fed Cup competition this past weekend was anything but boring. In what has to be classed as an upset the "Young and the Restless" team fielded by Captain Mary Jo Fernandez managed to defeat a much more experienced team from the Czech Republic something no one expected. Alexa Glatch made a name for herself during the tie and many wonder if she will be able to continue her success on the tour. I think that Mary Jo has put all doubts about her competency to bed by getting her team to the Finals in what is her maiden voyage. There are rough waters ahead though.

Alexa Glatch
The United States team will face Italy on clay in the Final. Ms Fernandez barely had time to savor her victory before she had to address whether or not she was sticking with her youngsters or calling the big guns, namely Venus Williams and Serena Williams to active duty. Serena played Fed Cup for the United States in 1999, ironically in Italy. Serena has managed to win on clay. Venus is another matter. Captain Fernandez has said she will start her charm offensive immediately. It will be asking a lot of the youngsters to compete on what to them is a foreign surface and in a venue that will be filled with rabid Italian fans. Still they weren't supposed to be competitive in this tie let alone win it. November is a long way off. Let's see what happens between then and now.

Francesca Schiavone
Speaking of the Italians I wonder if it would've made any difference if Vera Zvonareva had been able to play for Russia. To be honest I expected Russia to win the tie 3-2 despite Ms Zvonareva's absence. Phenom Anastasia Palyuchenkova replaced Vera and she'd played well of late. But Francesca Schiavone was not to be denied. She may not be playing well on the tour but when it comes to Fed Cup it's as if she morphs into Superwoman. Only one Russian woman, Svetlana Kuznetsova, was able to win a singles rubber from Italy. It's back to the drawing board for the now legendary Russian Captain Shamil Tarpishev. I don't think losing the rubber 4-1 is what he had in mind.

Shamil Tarpishev
In the World Group Playoffs Serbia routed Spain 4-0. The doubles tie had to be abandoned due to rain. Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic led Serbia into the World Group. Spain sent it's "A" team but it contemplates a different future.

Amelie Mauresmo
Amelie Mauresmo put the French team on her back and won both her singles rubbers and played doubles giving France a 3-2 victory over a determined Slovak Republic. Alize Cornet seems to be struggling under the weight of expectations and lost both of her rubbers.

All of the results are listed below.

WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS

ITALY defeated RUSSIA 4-1
Venue: Nova Yardinia, Castellaneta Marina, ITA (clay – outdoors)

Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) 64 60
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 16 62 63
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 60 63
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 76(7) 46 62
Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (ITA) d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/Nadia Petrova (RUS) 16 63 64

USA defeated CZECH REPUBLIC 3-2
Venue: Starobrno Rondo Arena, Brno, CZE (carpet – indoors)

Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 63 76(2)
Alexa Glatch (USA) d. Iveta Benesova (CZE) 61 62
Lucie Safarova (CZE) d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 63 61
Alexa Glatch (USA) d. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 62 61
Liezel Huber/Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. Iveta Benesova/Kveta Peschke (CZE) 26 76(2) 61

WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS

SERBIA defeated SPAIN 4-0
Venue: Club de Tennis Lleida, Lleida, ESP (clay - outoors)

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) 63 64
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 36 61 62
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 63 36 63
Ana Jovanovic (SRB) d. Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) 36 63 76(5)
Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) v Ana Jovanovic/Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 62 10 abandoned due to rain

FRANCE defeated SLOVAK REPUBLIC 3-2
Venue: Palais des Sports Beaublanc, Limoges, FRA (clay – indoors)

Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. Alize Cornet (FRA) 67(2) 63 64
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) d. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 46 62 63
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. Alize Cornet (FRA) 62 57 64
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 75 64
Nathalie Dechy/Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) d. Dominika Cibulkova/Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 46 61 64

GERMANY defeated CHINA, P.R. 3-2
Venue: Frankfurter TC 1914 Palmengarten, Frankfurt, GER (clay - outdoors)

Sabine Lisicki (GER) d. Jie Zheng (CHN) 64 26 64
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) d. Shuai Peng (CHN) 46 64 62
Jie Zheng (CHN) d. Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) 75 64
Shuai Peng (CHN) d. Tatjana Malek (GER) 62 26 75
Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Sabine Lisicki (GER) d. Shuai Peng/Jie Zheng (CHN) 46 75 62

UKRAINE defeated ARGENTINA 5-0
Venue: Club Nautico, Mar del Plata, ARG (clay – outdoors)

Mariya Koryttseva (UKR) d. Jorgelina Cravero (ARG) 46 75 62
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Maria Irigoyen (ARG) 63 63
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Jorgelina Cravero (ARG) 61 62
Olga Savchuk (UKR) d. Aranza Salut (ARG) 62 61
Mariya Koryttseva (UKR)/Olga Savchuk (UKR) d. Maria Irigoyen/Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 62 60

WORLD GROUP II PLAY-OFFS

BELGIUM defeated CANADA 3-2
Venue: Grenslandhallen - Ethias Arena, Hasselt, BEL (clay – indoors)

Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. Tamaryn Hendler (BEL) 46 75 62
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Stephanie Dubois (CAN) 61 63
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 62 64
Stephanie Dubois (CAN) d. Tamaryn Hendler (BEL) 75 75
Kirsten Flipkens/Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Stephanie Dubois/Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 61 63

ESTONIA defeated ISRAEL 3-2
Venue: Tondi Tennis Club, Tallinn, EST (hard – indoors)

Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Tzipi Obziler (ISR) 61 63
Shahar Peer (ISR) d. Maret Ani (EST) 61 60
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Shahar Peer (ISR) 63 64
Tzipi Obziler (ISR) d. Maret Ani (EST) 46 76(5) 63
Maret Ani/Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Tzipi Obziler/Shahar Peer (ISR) 16 64 86

POLAND defeated JAPAN 3-2
Venue: Tenisowy Klub Sportowy Arka, Gdynia, POL (clay - outdoors)

Ai Sugiyama (JPN) d. Urszula Radwanska (POL) 63 61
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Akiko Morigami (JPN) 62 61
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 76(5) 61
Ayumi Morita (JPN) d. Urszula Radwanska (POL) 62 64
Klaudia Jans/Alicja Rosolska (POL) d. Ayumi Morita/Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 16 63 63

AUSTRALIA defeated SWITZERLAND 3-1
Venue: Mildura Lawn Tennis Club, Mildura, AUS (grass - outdoors)

Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Amra Sadikovic (SUI) 61 62
Jelena Dokic (AUS) d. Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 76(1) 64
Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 76(2) 57 63
Mateja Kraljevic (SUI) d. Jessica Moore (AUS) 57 64 64
Jelena Dokic/Rennae Stubbs (AUS) v Mateja Kraljevic/Amra Sadikovic (SUI) 63 14 abandoned due to bad light