A few thoughts about Fed Cup

Well, I had neither the time or inclination to reconstruct the lengthy Fed Cup preview that Blogger hurled into another galaxy yesterday, but here are a few of the observations that were included:

The Czech Republic, the defending champions, will play Australia on an indoor court at home. As a rule, an indoor court allows Petra Kvitova to run over opponents, but these days, she's vulnerable even indoors. She'll play Sam Stosur, who is as fragile and unpredictable As Kvitova. There could be a beatdown from the Czech star, or it could turn into one of those "You win it"--"Oh, no, you win it" affairs. I think the first scenario is more likely, but who knows?

Also in the World Group, the USA plays Italy, and the first rubber will feature Jamie Hampton and Sara Errani. They're playing on red clay, so the Italian has the advantage; nevertheless, it could be an entertaining match.

Both Serbian stars, Jankovic and Ivanovic, have withdrawn from their team because of injuries. Aleksandra Krunic--who has become somewhat of a Fed Cup cup doubles star--wasn't even named to be on the team, but now she's on it as a substitute. The original decision--to cut Krunic from the team--left me shaking my head in disbelief. Krunic may be an unknown on the tour, but she really brings it for Fed Cup.

The other World Group contest features Russia and Japan, and to get things started, Maria Kirilenko will play Kimiko Date-Krumm. Both players are so much fun to watch, and this could be a good one.