By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, February 6, 2015

The 2015 Fed Cup season carries added signifance because of the 2016 Olympics.

Stars returning to Fed Cup to qualify for next year's Rio Olympic Games should brighten weekend ties from Krakow to Québec City. 

We preview this weekend's four Fed Cup World Group first-round ties here.

Australia vs. Germany
Porsche Arena
Stuttgart, Germany
Hard Court

Team Nominations

Angelique Kerber (GER) vs. Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS)
Andrea Petkovic (GER) vs. Samantha Stosur (AUS)
Angelique Kerber (GER) vs. Samantha Stosur (AUS)
Andrea Petkovic (GER) vs. Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS)
Julia Goerges/Sabine Lisicki (GER) vs. Casey Dellacqua/Samantha Stosur (AUS)

Why Australia will win: The Green-and-Gold don't have to rely on hope — they've already beaten Germany in Stuttgart before. Stosur has won two of three career matches with Kerber and has split two career meetings with Petkovic. The 2011 U.S. Open champion beat both Germans leading Australia to a 3-2 upset of Germany in the 2012 Fed Cup World Group Playoffs staged on Stuttgart's red clay. Jarmila Gajdosova is an explosive player with a big serve who can be dangerous if she gets hot. Gajdosova should be confident after beating Petkovic in straight sets in Sydney last month. She has won two of three meetings with Kerber.

Why Germany will win: Higher-ranked players, home-court advantage and recent history all favor the host. Germany beat Australia, 3-1, on a Brisbane hard court in the semifinals last April. Petkovic opened with a straight-sets win over Stosur and Kerber crushed Dellacqua then defeated Stosur to power Germany into its first final since 1992. Both Germans can get to Stosur's weaker backhand wing and draw short balls. The 54th-ranked Gajdosova is the lowest-ranked — and least experienced — singles starter in this tie, who can be erratic and spray the ball when pressured. Gajdosova's lone Fed Cup singles win on hard court came four years ago when she beat Francesca Schiavone in Hobart.

Break Points Stosur must play with the passion and precision she showed leading Australia to its 2012 Fed Cup win in Stuttgart. However, the world No. 25 has not won back-to-back matches this season. Though Gajdosova has beaten both Kerber and Petkovic on hard court, the Germans are generally more consistent, can both play grinding rallies and will enjoy the home crowd support.

The Pick: Germany 3, Australia 2

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Poland vs. Russia
Krakow Arena
Krakow, Poland
Hard Court

Team Nominations

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
Urszula Radwanska (POL) vs. Maria Sharapova (RUS)
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) vs. Maria Sharapova (RUS)
Urszula Radwanska (POL) vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
Klaudia Jans-Ignacik/ Alicja Rosolska (POL) vs. Vitalia Diatchenko/ Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)

Why Poland will win: Agnieszka Radwanska rides a 14-match Fed Cup singles winning streak into Krakow. It is Radwanska's first tie on home soil since the 2010 World Group II Playoff when Spain pounded Poland, 4-1. A fourth-round Australian Open loss gave Aga plenty of time to prepare for the homecoming weekend. While she can't match Russia's power, Radwanska's court sense, ability to alter spins and speed of her shots and her net skills can all be assets to disrupt the timing of the Russians. A struggling Kuznetsova, who has not won a match this year, could be ripe for an upset. This is Poland's first Fed Cup meeting with Russia so home crowd fervor figures to be high.

Why Russia will win: Two Grand Slam champions give Russia greater depth against Poland's one-woman team and both Sharapova and Kuznetsova have been too strong for Radwanska in the past. Fresh off her run to the Australian Open final, the second-ranked Sharapova is 11-2 lifetime against Aga, including a pair of marathon wins in the WTA Finals. Kuznetsova has won seven of nine meetings with the elder Radwanska. Russian starters are bigger hitters and can dictate play against the Radwanska sisters. Given the eighth-ranked Radwanska is the only Top 100 player on the Polish squad, carries the burden of home hopes and could face physical rallies in both matches, she could wear down as the weekend progresses.

Break Points Sharapova is in strong form and should be focused in her first Fed Cup match in three years. While Kuznetsova has managed to win just one set this season, if she falters the 39th-ranked Pavlyuchenkova is 5-0 lifetime in Fed Cup matches on hard court and has pushed Aga Radwanska to three sets in their last three meetings.

The Pick: Russia 4, Poland 1

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France vs. Italy
105 Stadium
Genoa, Italy
Red Clay

Team Nominations

Caroline Garcia (FRA) vs. Sara Errani (ITA)
Alize Cornet (FRA) vs. Camila Giorgi (ITA)
Alize Cornet (FRA) vs. Sara Errani (ITA)
Caroline Garcia (FRA) vs. Camila Giorgi (ITA)
Kristina Mladenovic/Pauline Parmentier (FRA) vs. Karin Knapp/Roberta Vinci (ITA)

Why France will win: Cornet and Garcia give France a formidable pair of singles starters. Garcia owns the strongest serve of any woman in this tie and when the gears to her game are clicking she can hit through just about any opponent. Cornet defeated world No. 1 Serena Williams twice last season and is typically a tenacious competitor. Every time Cornet and Giorgi play it's a three-set battle, but the French woman usually finds a way to win. Cornet fought off a match point at 4-5 in the decider to beat Giorgi, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5, in the Katowice final on clay last spring.

Why Italy will win: Former French Open finalist Errani plays the grinding topspin game suited for the dirt. Errani has been such a Fed Cup stalwart, she owns a Fed Cup win over current French captain Amelie Mauresmo. While Giorgi can careen from hitting eye-popping winners to clanking head-scratching errors — sometimes within the space of a single game — she showed tremendous upside sweeping Madison Keys in her Fed Cup debut last April. Cornet is 3-11 in Fed Cup competition and has yet to win a Fed Cup singles match on clay. So if Errani can open with a win it would ratchet up the pressure on the French No. 1.

Break Points Potentially, this could be the tightest tie of the weekend. The gifted Garcia is capable of carrying her team as she did last April when she swept Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys in succession then partnered Virginie Razzano in doubles to account for all three points in France's 3-2 win over the United States. Still, Errani is the most accomplished clay-courter in this tie, who typically plays passionate tennis in Fed Cup competition. Both nations boast capable doubles teams; Errani and Vinci are the world's top-ranked doubles team.

The Pick: Italy 3, France 2

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Canada vs. Czech Republic
PEPS
Québec City, Canada
Hard Court

Team Nominations

Francoise Abanda (CAN) vs. Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) vs. Tereza Smitkova (CZE)
Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) vs. Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
Francoise Abanda (CAN) vs. Tereza Smitkova (CZE)
Tereza Smitkova/Sharon Fichman (CAN) vs. Denisa Allertova/Lucie Hradecka (CZE)

Why Canada will win Given Canadian No. 1 Genie Bouchard is sitting this tie out and world No. 230 Francoise Abanda and 185th-ranked Gabriela Dabrowski are both making their first Fed Cup singles starts, Canadian fans may need to redefine their concept of success here. The 5'10" Abanda took a set off Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova in Montreal last weekend. She celebrated her 18th birthday on Thursday, has been ranked as high as No. 175 and plays with a bouncy athleticism though she's still working to refine her serve and play with consistency. Dabrowski defeated Pliskova in their lone prior meeting in the 2013 Toronto qualifier.

Why Czech Republic will win The 22nd-ranked Pliskova is a baseliner powerhouse, who is learning to put points together. Last month, Pliskova beat former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in Brisbane then scored successive wins over Top 20 foes Carla Suarez Navarro and Angelique Kerber before losing to Petra Kvitova in the Sydney final. Pliskova can use her serve and forehand to control the center of the court against either Canadian. Smitkova made her mark reaching the Wimbledon round of 16 as a 175th-ranked qualifier last summer. The week after that inspired run she permitted just two games to Dabrowski on the red clay of Bad Gastein. Both Czech starters can dictate play.

Break Points Consider 29-year-old Lucie Hradecka is off to a 9-2 start this season, including an upset of No. 5 Ana Ivanovic at last month's Australian Open, and you get a sense of the defending champion's superior depth. Even without 2014 starters Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova, the Czech Republic's B team is too strong for a Canadian squad without its top player.

The Pick: Czech Republic 4, Canada 1