Friday, February 4, 2011

Schiavone and Stosur to face each other in Fed Cup play

Scheduled as the third rubber in weekend Fed Cup competition between World Group teams Australia and defending champion Italy is a match between Sam Stosur and Francesca Schiavone. Schiavone defeated Stosur, who was favored to win the tournament, in the final of the 2010 French Open. Stosur will also play Flavia Pennetta. Australia's Jarmilla Groth will play the other singles rubbers against Schiavone and Pennetta. The Australian team of Anastasia Rodionova and Rennae Stubbs is scheduled to compete in doubles against Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci.

The Australian team should give the two-time defending champions some good competition. Meanwhile, 2010 finalist, team USA, will play Belgium. Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters and Yanina Wickmayer will handle the singles rubbers for Belgium, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Melanie Oudin will play singles for the USA.

Russia will play France, and--in what should be a close contest--the Slovak Republic plays the Czech Republic. Daniela Hantuchova and Dominika Cibulkova are scheduled to handle singles for the Slovak Republic, and Lucie Safarova and Petra Kvitova will play for the Czech Republic. Should the tie go to a deciding doubles rubber, Hantuchova and Magdelena Rybarikova will play Kveta Peschke and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. Hantuchova and Zahlavova Strycova are doubles experts, and Peschke is a doubles specialist.

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