By Chris Oddo | Thursday February 9, 2017
Will the Czechs begin another run to the Fed Cup title this weekend in Ostrava?
Photo Source: Reuters
It’s time for another Fed Cup season to begin, and we’re previewing all four of this weekend’s World Group ties right here.
ATP: Nadal Withdraws from Rotterdam
France at Switzerland, Geneva
These European neighbors will meet for the fourth time and the first since 2014, with two experienced and dynamic lineups ready to do battle. Yannick Noah will rely on Kristina Mladenovic and Alize Cornet for his singles rubbers, while Switzerland will likely turn to Timea Bacsinszky and Belinda Bencic. But don’t sleep on Viktorija Golubic—the world No. 63 defeated Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova in the World Group semifinals last year at Lucerne.
Martina Hingis will anchor the Swiss doubles team, which likely give the Swiss an edge should this tie go to the distance.
Spain at Czech Republic, Ostrava
Garbine Muguruza will look to lead Spain to the semifinals in the countries first World Group appearance since 2014. But when it comes to depth, Conchita Martinez’s squad is at a disadvantage. All four of the Czech team—Barbora Strycova, Lucie Safarova, Karolina Pliskova and Katerina Siniakova—currently reside in the Top 50. For Spain to prevail, they’ll likely need two wins from Muguruza and a big step-up from someone else.
Who might that someone else be? Does Lara Arruabarrena or Sara Sorribes Tormo have the gusto to snag a colossal upset on a fast hardcourt against a Fed Cup juggernaut? Hard to imagine, but that is why they play the rubbers.
The Czechs have won the Fed Cup in five of the last six years, and they’ll be hard to stop again this year—even with Petra Kvitova still out of the lineup.
Germany at U.S.A., Maui, Hawaii
This battle between the Americans and Germans promises to be a dogfight in every way. Kathy Rinaldi’s role will be important in her first weekend as Fed Cup Captain as she’ll have to find a way to get inspired performances from her cast of characters. The mercurial CoCo Vandeweghe has been on the rise and this is a good chance for her to prove that her Australian Open seminal was just the beginning for her. She can be the dominant player in this tie, but she’ll face tough challenges from whichever players Germany sends out against her.
It’s also a good chance for Andrea Petkovic to build some momentum. She has a 12-6 record in Fed Cup singles matches and she needs to be Germany’s emotional leader in this tie for her nation to have a chance.
But this ties' lesser-known cast of characters could play a massive role in the outcome as well. Players like Alison Riske, Julia Goerges, Shelby Rogers and Carina Witthoeft could find themselves playing pivot in their countries' fortunes. And of course their is World No.1 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who'll be ready to step in should this tie go to five.
Netherlands at Belarus, Minsk
Without Victoria Azarenka in the mix Belarus will have its hands full with the Netherlands, especially if Kiki Bertens has her “A” game. While Bertens can be a good player on a fast hard court, she has won just five of her last 19 matches, so she’s vulnerable.
Will Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Belarus’ unheralded No.1, step up and use the home crowd to fuel her? This is the toughest tie to predict of all four World Group matchups, but with Bertens toting a 15-1 Fed Cup singles record, it appears that the Netherlands will be able to ride her to victory.