By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, November 3, 2015
The Fed Cup final should feature a rematch of the Singapore semifinals when Maria Sharapova squares off with Petra Kvitova.
Photo credit: Fed Cup
Petra Kvitova sent Maria Sharapova packing in Singapore. Sharapova will play for more than payback in Prague.
The fourth-ranked Sharapova will lead a Russian squad that includes Ekaterina Makarova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina in the November 14-15th Fed Cup final against the Czech Republic in Prague.
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The International Tennis Federation confirmed both team rosters today.
The final will be staged on hard court at the 02 Arena.
It is Sharapova's first taste of the Fed Cup final that comes with the added spice of trying to reclaim the Cup on the road.
Sharapova beat both Radwanska sisters helping Russia power past Poland, 4-0, in the February quarterfinals. Now she will try to lead captain Anastasia Myskina's squad to its first Fed Cup championship since 2008.
"'Nastia was a really great team leader and I'm excited to be a part of it again," Sharapova said. "I don't know what to expect. I know it's going to be much more difficult than the first time around, but it's never easy playing away and never easy being in the final as well.Yeah, I just look forward to the experience. Something new for me."
Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, French Open finalist Lucie Safarova, 13th-ranked Karolina Pliskova and veteran Barbora Strycova were selected by Czech captain Petr Pala to the lead the host.
The defending Fed Cup champions have been on a roll reeling off 14 straight live rubbers and five consecutive victories. The Czechs are playing for their ninth Fed Cup championship, including their fourth in the last five years.
"I am (excited for the Final). For sure. Actually, I am very excited that they are coming in full power, so that's great, to have amazing final at home," Kvitova said. "It's going to be full again. It's going to be a lot of nerves again. And exciting. So I'm really looking forward to do that."
The Czech No. 1 is 4-2 lifetime against Makarova, winning two of their three hard-court clashes. Kvitova holds a 6-3 edge over world No. 27 Pavlyuchenkova.
The Fed Cup final should feature a rematch the 2011 Wimbledon final that saw Kvitova sweep Sharapova, 6-3, 6-4, to capture her first career Grand Slam title. At last week's WTA Finals in Singapore, Kvitova rallied from 1-5 down in the second set to score a 6-3, 7-6 (3) semifinal win over Sharapova.
The former world No. 1 has won six of 10 meetings with Kvitova with both women favoring grip-and-rip first-strike tennis.
"She's a very aggressive player," Sharapova said of Kvitova. "She has a lot of depth and power. She goes for her shots. I think when she commits to her game and she executes, it's a very powerful game."
Sharapova withdrew from a scheduled Sochi semifinal homecoming in April citing a leg injury. Pavlyuchenkova and Vesnina partnered to win the decisive doubles point lifting Russia to a 3-2 victory over Germany.
The five-time Grand Slam champion is 5-1 lifetime in Fed Cup play with all six matches coming in the quarterfinal stage.
"It's something I've never been a part of before, so I don't really know what to expect," said Sharapova. "I was really proud of how the team came through in Germany, because I knew they were the underdogs coming into that match. "Yeah, I felt like last minute I couldn't play, so that was disappointing, so I'm really glad that I have another chance to compete and be part of the team. I had a really terrific experience in Poland with everyone."
The 28-year-old Russian has won four of six meetings with Czech No. 2 Lucie Safarova, however Safarova won their most recent match, 7-6 (3), 6-4, in the French Open fourth round. Safarova is riding a seven-match winning streak in Fed Cup matches at home and is eager to extend it.
"We are a great team, which we show with our results in last few years," said Safarova."I'm excited about that. It will be nice to play in Prague, at home, in front of our crowd. We have sold out the arena already, so I'm sure it will be amazing. Just really excited to go."
The final is a rematch of the 2011 Fed Cup final when Kvitova beat Maria Kirilenko and Svetlana Kuznetsova to help lead the Czech Republic to a 3-2 victory in Moscow. Kvitova, who is riding a seven-match Fed Cup winning streak, has posted a 25-6 Fed Cup singles record.