Monday, February 11, 2019

Wk.6- An Overflowing Cup of Fed

The time has come to sort through the highs, lows, historic (and dynasty-interrupting) upsets, karmic accomplishments, inspirational legend-gilding, #BiancaRising moment adding and, yes, still another Misaki Doi MP squandering success story (this time it doesn't involve Angie Kerber) that all combined to produce the story of the first Fed Cup week of 2019.



First, a rundown of some stand-outs from 2019's first batch of Fed Cup results:

*A DOZEN THINGS THAT WERE GOOD*
1. Si-mo-na! Si-mo-na!


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2. The Belarusian Dream Team
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3. The dang-near Perfect Virtual Poster Child for all that is good about Fed Cup


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4. Team GB (but don't put the cart before the horse quite yet)


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5. Alize!


Even Amelie Mauresmo couldn't figure out how to "whisper" Cornet, but *somehow* Julien Benneteau figured out a way. He should bottle that stuff. He'd make a freakin' fortune.
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6. Still another Bianca Moment (and weren't not even half-way through February)


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7. Latvians being Riga-rific
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8. Flying First Class with Caro (while Kiki is stuck in coach)


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9. Kazakhs finally living up to expectations (at least for one week)
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10. AMG + GGP = ESP OMG


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11. The faint sound of faint Russian resurgence?
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12. Romanians Taking Over Wherever They Choose to Gather


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*TEN THAT WEREN'T*
1. The Czech Dynasty: Year Seven of Nine
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2. Home court "advantage" in World Group play: 0-4 in the 1st Round, 2-2 in WG II
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3. Elise Mertens
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4. In Rinaldi We Trust: Year 3, Chapter 1 - A Disturbance in the Force


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5. Kiki Mladenovic... anywhere to be seen on the court, I mean
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6. Madison Keys on Sunday
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7. Slovakian health plans
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8. The Fed Cup site blog, which so reliably gave real time updates, quotes and on-location atmosphere in the past. I guess it's another thing wrongly thrown onto the scrap heap in 2019.
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9. Misaki Doi at MP. Still.


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10. Team Italia (and this time I mean it FOR REAL... I think, as of today)
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Just because...





*WEEK 6*

=WG 1st Round=
ROU def. CZE (H) 3-2 [dd]
FRA def. BEL (H) 3-1
BLR def. GER (H) 4-0
AUS def. USA (H) 3-2 [dd]
=World Group II=
SUI (H) def. ITA 3-1
LAT (H) def. SVK 4-0
ESP def. JPN (H) 3-2 [dd]
CAN def. NED (H) 4-0
=Zone Promotion Finals=
[Europe/Africa I at GBR] GBR def. SRB 2-0
[Europe/Africa I at POL] RUS def. SWE 2-0
[Asia/Oceania I at KAZ] KAZ def. CHN 2-1 [dd]
[Americas I at COL] BRA def. PAR 2-0
[Europe/Africa II at LUX] AUT def. ISR 2-0
[Europe/Africa II at LUX] LUX def. TUN 2-0


[World Group 1st Round]

ROU def. CZE 3-2 [dd]
[Ostrava, CZE / HCI]
...three years ago, the Romanians had a chance to take down the Czechs in the 1st Round and reach their first FC semifinals. But the Maidens, as they often do, won a deciding doubles match and, as they also often do, went on to win another Fed Cup title. That didn't happen in Ostrava, and the rest ain't happening, either... at least not in 2019.

Finally, after years and years of trial and effort, the promise of the deepest generational depth of women's talent in Romanian tennis history collectively dragged itself out onto the big stage for all to see, accomplishing the feat that went by the wayside in 2016. Romania's huge win this weekend ended the Czech's run of ten consecutive semifinal appearances, eleven straight victorious home ties, and eighteen straight wins on hard court. They'd also been 7-1 in deciding doubles matches since winning their first FC title in 2011, kicking off their era of dynastic success and accomplished excess.




Said ROU Captain Florin Segarceanu, "What a day. Hell and heaven. It was unbelievable, a dream come true, we are in the semis, we have a great team -- and we won't stop until we win it."

[MVP]
Simona Halep/ROU
...in 2016, Romania's efforts to upend the Czechs ultimately failed partly due to Halep's singles loss to Karolina Pliskova, and it was precisely the reversal of that result this weekend that proved key, as the (now) world #3 backed up her week-long confidence about a potential upset being in the works. Leading by example, Halep overcame a shaky start when she failed to serve out the 1st set vs. Katerina Siniakova in match #2 despite leading 5-2, 40/love. But once she secured the stanza on her sixth SP, her weekend course was set. Proving why she's a two-time year-end #1, Halep prevailed in a tight 2:37 match over Pliskova to give the Romanians an important 2-1 lead, as it acted as a touch of a cushion that avoided the need for a singles *sweep* on Day 2.

Cheering on her triumphant teammates from the sidelines, Halep later called the squad accomplishment, along with her literal and inspirational role in it, "close to the best day in my career.


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[DOUBLES]
Irina-Camelia Begu/Monica Niculescu, ROU
...of course, heading into yet another deciding doubles contest, with the world #1 doubles duo on the court, the odds seemed to still forever be in the Czechs' favor. After Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova took the opening set in a TB, it was easy to expect FC norms to take over and the Czechs to move into yet another semifinal. But the recent tour title (Hua Hin) winning Swarmettes, and Niculescu in particular, had other ideas.

With the match tight deep into the 3rd, the Czechs finally seemed to find their groove with a break to get back on serve at 4-4. But rather than seize control in the closing games, they totally lost their grip on the match. The Romanians got the break back at love, won six straight points and eight of nine overall to close out the contest in 2:44, setting off yet another national tennis celebration. The win was Niculescu's 31st in FC play (15-10/16-11), the most ever in Romanian history.


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[DOWN]
Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE
...as the world's #1 doubles team, no matter what the Swarmettes did on the other side of the net (and how great the visitors' Romanian support system was in the stands), the two-time slam champion Czechs are quite simply *expected* to win a deciding doubles match on home soil. It was Krejcikova/Siniakova's first attempt at such a thing in Fed Cup play, though, which serves to remind us that this was the first tie for CZE since Barbora Strycova voluntarily decided to bring to a close her FC career. It didn't take long for her to be missed.

Strycova was the Czech's longtime "secret weapon" during their run of success. While she often played in the long shadows of her higher ranked singles countrywoman, it's of no small importance that Strycova was a part of five of the seven deciding doubles matches won by the Czechs since 2011. Only two of the nation's six titles over the the last eight years were accomplished without being taken to the fifth match on at least one occasion through three rounds of FC play. Strycova was on the court saving at least one tie at some point during the other four title runs, including twice in the final.
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Match #3 - Simona Halep/ROU def. Karolina Pliskova/CZE
...6-4/5-7/6-4. In defeating Pliskova in 2:37 to set the tone and stage for yet another great Romanian sports triumph, Halep's own national sports legend grew exponentially once again this weekend. While she's no longer #1, what she did in Ostrava is proof that she could return to the top of the sport, lead Romania to two more "firsts" by the end of 2019, and maybe even win that Gold medal she likes to talk about, too. She's already a living sports legend back home, but that doesn't mean there's not still more to be accomplished before she's through.
Gilding the proverbial lily has never seemed quite so sweet.


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FRA def. BEL 3-1
[Liege, BEL / HCI]
...not exactly the tie we were expecting (or feared), but maybe precisely the tie we wanted. I mean, how much more can one ask for than Caroline Garcia returning to the fold to great success AND Alize Cornet *finally* producing a brilliant moment on the Fed Cup stage AND Kiki Mladenovic having to watch it all unfold before her without having a say in anything due to a "captain's decision" to leave her out of the lineup.

I mean, it's like the Tennis Gods heard a Backspinner's secret prayers never uttered into the open air.



[MVP]
Caroline Garcia/FRA
...having not played for France since 2016, and been publicly browbeaten, criticized, ostracized and denigrated by a fellow Pastry with whom she'd shared the greatest moments in *both* their careers up until that point, that Garcia arrived in Liege and carried herself with dignity and respect was a given. Whether she'd break out of her early '19 slump and record her first truly significant wins of the season was an open question. And she *did* get pushed to three sets in the opening match against Alison Van Uytvanck, so there were some lingering questions even an hour or so into the proceedings. But her final three sets of the weekend (one on Saturday, then two more vs. Elise Mertens on Sunday) saw Garcia drop just seven total games. Now 7-1 in her last eight FC singles outings, Garcia is a combined 15-5 in s/d in her career.


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[VETERAN/COMEBACK]
Alize Cornet/FRA
...who knew that the way to Alize's Fed Cup heart was to pick her over Kiki Mladenovic? Or, you know, something like that.


While Garcia, via her two wins, is ostensibly the French MVP, it's Cornet one match for which the tie will be remembered. Facing off with Belgian #1 Elise Mertens, she worked all her usual convoluting magic to full impact, frustrating her opponent with her variety, fire and flash. Mertens *still* should have taken the opening set (she had multiple opportunities), but once the pressure was applied when Cornet finally claimed the 1st via a Mertens' DF the Waffle was flat-ironed not just for the rest of *that* match, but for the one that followed the next day, as well.

This one win doesn't erase Cornet's woeful FC past (2-14!), so bad that it fully flummoxed *both* Amelie Mauresmo and Yannick Noah into throwing up their hands and washing them of the hard-to-figure out Pastry. Benneteau, though, went in elbows deep on Day 1, survived to tell the tale, and actually saw his faith pay off, too. Bless him, for he knows not what he's unleashed.

Of course, expecting this sort of thing again from Alize in the semis in April might raise some competency questions. But still, it was quite the shared moment.


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[DOWN]
Elise Mertens/BEL
...this was supposed to be Mertens' moment to shine. With the Belgians hosting a tie vs. their close-by French neighbors, the Waffle #1 was tasked with trying to lift the BEL squad into the nation's first SF since 2011. With a 6-1 FC record, a little more than a year off her AO semifinal and having been ranked in the Top 15 in recent weeks, she seemed well designed to lead the way. Man, was that thought ever wrong. Facing off with Cornet, sporting a career .125 FC win percentage despite her vast talents (but largely because of all her personal intangibles that often crisscross and trip her up), the Belgian was well positioned to knot the tie at 1-1 then take her chances in match #3 vs. Garcia on Sunday. But after she squandered a break lead in the 1st set, missed on five BP chances at 4-4, served for the set, held three SP, DF'd on BP to head to a TB, then lost it 8-6 (the final point via another DF), Belgian Rumble turned to Belgian Crumble. And I don't mean a tasty dessert, either.

Cornet ran away with a 6-2 2nd, then Garcia blasted Mertens 2 & 3 the next day. Rather than pull Belgium back into the tie, Mertens ended the tie on her own messy terms before any of her other teammates took another step onto the court. Needless to say, it was by far the worst performance from a top player this whole opening Fed Cup week.

The only player who maybe had a more disappointing time in Liege this week than Mertens might have been Kristina Mladenovic. Oh, ouch.

Speaking of...
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[YOU KNOW... *IT*...WHAT WE'VE WONDERED ABOUT FOR DAYS]
Hmmm, what to make of Cornet's glorious Saturday, or that she was even in position for a Fed Cup aboutface change of fortune in the first place. We do know that no injury was announced for Mladenovic, who had (as usual) been the predominant voice of the team all week, when Julien Benneteau left her off the lineup for both singles *and* doubles despite her having carried the team almost single handedly on her back the last two seasons. "It's just the captain's choice. We're all playing well right now," Mladenovic (0-4 in '19) said in the aftermath of the unveiling of the lineup.



(What follows, of course, is pure opinion, conjecture and guesswork -- and any other synonym of "speculation" that you can think of, or look up on Google.)

Since we don't really know the whole story, or if there even is one, per se, I won't throw out any cockamamie theory about how Cornet's inner brilliance might have been allowed to finally shine on the FC stage with the simple act of Benneteau choosing her over Mladenovic (past French FC coaches have been wise to avoid truly backing her, for honestly good reasons). But I will consider whether the move served to carve out a place for Garcia as the singles #1 over (and maybe against the wishes of) her past tormenter, who was officially (finally) taken down a notch by someone (the Captain, no less) with power within the French tennis establishment. It should be noted that Mladenovic's public attacks on Garcia (and goading of her teammates to join in) -- questioning her honesty, patriotism and, yes, even intelligence -- went on without any consequences being levied against her by the FFT, an organization whose domineering leader Kiki often made a point of complimenting since the whole sorry incident took place.

During the week, the Garcia/Mladenovic "reunion" set up by Benneteau's roster decision to bring Garcia back aboard was an obvious point of interest. The new French captain and all involved mostly skirted the issue of how the two were getting along, but no great "coming together" appeared to have taken place. And then -- boom -- Garcia was suddenly the singles #1 (not shocking) and Mladenovic was left out entirely, even as an initial doubles selection (shocking). Barring an inury that has not been copped to, how does one *not* surmise this was either the long-awaited punishment for Mladenovic's past immaturity and bullying, or the immediate consequences of how she related to the returning Garcia over the course of a week of practice? Was she not "getting with the program?" We'll probably never know. But, my, how wonderful it would be if even a sliver of the above is true. Benneteau should be given a medal, and not just for leading the Pastries to their fourth semifinal in five years.

Ah, ain't rank speculation great?
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Match #2 - Alize Cornet/FRA def. Elise Mertens/BEL
...7-6(6)/6-2. The very picture of just what you don't want to happen to you when you play Cornet. You don't want to wake the sleeping bear. And failing to secure an opening set after being up a break, serving for the set, having three SP and then DF'ing on a BP for a TB, and then again on SP down... well, that's enough to wake Alize's skills from any hibernation they might be considering on gameday.
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BLR def. GER 4-0
[Braunschweig, GER / HCI]
...Belarus made an historic run to the Fed Cup final two years ago, and now finds itself one tie away (and it'll be a long haul trip come April to play it) from a return engagement after sweeping through six straight singles sets to down the Germans -- minus both Fräulein Kerber and Goerges -- in Braunschweig. After Tatjana Maria took Aliaksandra Sasnovich to a 1st set TB in the opening match, the Belarusians never gave up more than three games in a stanza until victory in the tie was already secured. Winners of eleven of thirteen ties, and now with the nation's Dream Team FC squad complete with the return of Vika Azarenka, Aryna Sabalenka & Co.'s list of "unfinished business" items has an additional "do-able" entry in a final four field suddenly minus the Czechs.



[MVP]
Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
...Sabalenka may have suffered a hiccup in Melbourne, but she surely didn't this weekend in Germany. Belarusian Boom emphatically swatted away any remaining German hopes and dreams, taking down Andrea Petkovic 2 & 1 on Saturday, and if that wasn't enough, handing poor Laura Siegemund (called to the court for a hard court match in a tie that rightly would have better suited the hosts had it been on clay) a 1 & 1 thrashing to clinch the victory.
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[RISER]
Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR
...even before she began to flash her talent on the regular tour, Sasnovich was the stalwart who brought BLR tennis to the Fed Cup forefront three seasons ago. Her opening match 7-6/6-3 win over Maria set the early tone for a road tie that (unlike with all the other defeats of host nations this weekend) the Belarusians had to think would be a simple open-and-shut case as long as they took care of their own business. They did, and it was.

And now Aliaksanda eats...


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Match #4 - Victoria Azarenka/Lidziya Marozava (BLR) def. Mona Barthel/Anna Lena Groenefeld (GER)
...6-1/0-6 [11-9]. In her first FC tie since 2016, the Gold Standard in Belarusian tennis picked up career win #22 (16/6). Vika hasn't lost in Fed Cup competition since 2010.


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AUS def. USA 3-2 [dd]
[Asheville, NC, USA / HCI]
...heading into the tie, it was clear that the U.S. had the home court advantage, an in-form (as of the AO) Madison Keys and Danielle Collins, and depth with January first-time champ Sonya Kenin and doubles specialist Nicole Melichar. But the Aussies had Ash Barty, and that *could* very well make all the difference. As it turned, it did. Big time.



Ash Barty/AUS
...Barty has put the Aussie FC hopes on her back in recent seasons like few ever have when it comes to a tennis nation as large as Australia. The percentage of *all* of AUS's points having come in matches won by Barty is more like something you'd see from a small nation with one "top-level" player (you know the usual suspects). Her three-point weekend is a repeat of what she did *last* February against Ukraine, and she's accounted for eight of Australia's nine "live" points won since the start of '18. Going back to the 2014 semis, she's had a hand in twelve of AUS's total of sixteen points in the ties in which she's appeared. Her singles wins in Asheville over Sonya Kenin and Madison Keys make her 8-1 in her FC career, and her deciding double victories give her a 6-1 WD mark. She's won eleven consecutive combined FC matches, coming close to the great run (13 con.) that Vandeweghe strung together en route to the U.S. win in 2017. Maybe most impressive, though, is the steady presence, at just 22, that she provides as the team's clear leader. Barty even made Alicia Molik's choice to go with FC neophyte Priscilla Hon as as her partner in the deciding doubles match vs. Collins/Melichar seem a non-risky gamble *only* because Barty's influence made everyone feel that it'd be all right.

And in the sticky wicket that is Fed Cup, that's about as good as it gets.



In the end, Barty is a perfect virtual poster child for all that is good about Fed Cup.


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[RISER]
Danielle Collins/USA
...Collins did nothing but watch from the sidelines in her first FC tie -- last year's final -- but after an additional day of recuperation from illness, she came out firing when she got the call from Rinaldi to go in for Kenin on Day 2 with the U.S. down 2-1. A set and a break lead turned into a three-setter vs. Dasha Gavrilova, but Collins held firm in her debut match and sent things to match #5. Against anyone teaming with Barty in the doubles, even with a specialist like Melichar by her side, it was tough, 50/50 ask (at best) for Collins to save the day in MVP style and post two Sunday wins to pull the Bannerette hopes out of the fire. But, be sure, Captain Kathy Rinaldi will remember the fight and backbone Collins showed here. She's earned her place.
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[DOWN and the rest]
Madison Keys/USA
...Collins did herself proud on the weekend, coming in on Sunday with the tie in peril after having missed Day 1, pulling things even and making the doubles close. It was Keys, though, who was, well, the key. Playing against an Australian team with a #2 without a '19 match win and three others without a Fed Cup singles win to their name, the U.S. shouldn't *have* to depend on wins in *both* singles matches not involving the dedicated #1 (Keys) on the roster, but that's essentially how things played out.

Though Barty was surely always going to be a tough out, as the #1 singles and former slam finalist/semifinalist coming off a Round of 16 AO results, Keys' job *was* to stop Barty from going 2-0. Because if she didn't the chances of things going to the doubles was good, and (again) Barty's skills and quiet leadership was going to give the Aussies the advantage there.

AUS Captain Alicia Molik threw a bit of a curve ball (or two) into the mix on Sunday, going with winless-in-2019 Dasha Gavrilova in match #4 (she played well starting mid-way through, but still look an "L" in 3) after passing her over for match #2, but then made up for it (or got away with *another* eyebrow-raiser, depending on how you look at it) by installing Priscilla Hon (for Gavrilova, but also over recent AO MX finalist Astra Sharma, no stranger to a team atmosphere in a match in the southern U.S. as a member of the Vandy college tennis team) into her very first career FC match with *everything* on the line.

But Molik obviously trusted Barty to make it work and paper over any inexperience/nerve issues Hon might encounter. It turned out she was right.

Which raises the question: which Bannerette(s) can Kathy Rinaldi truly trust? Oh, that's easy. That'd be CoCo Vandeweghe, who earned such a thing while leading Rinaldi's first U.S. squad to the title in '17. But she's rehabbing an injury, and can't be expected for April's tie, either. As for the rest? Uhhhh, well. Collins took a good first step, and deserves more opportunity. Meanwhile, Soyna Kenin has somewhat perfected the art of playing well (but still losing) on the FC stage. Even before not being a likely candidate for a roster spot, Sloane Stephens was a 50/50 FC prospect on the court, and Keys' entire career has been a brilliant-or-bust (or get injured) gamble. Sunday, when she started quickly by winning three straight games vs. Barty, then lost 10 of 14 to close out the match, was exactly what you *don't* want from a singles #1 in crunch time who isn't going to be a WD option later down the line -- at least make the opponent work and/or play three sets. Instead, Barty was fresh for the deciding doubles.

While Rinaldi didn't make any glaring, MJF-like mistakes in roster construction or gameday choices, but she was let down once again by her support for Kenin in back-to-back ties (at 0-3, it might be time for a brief FC rest before she's called up again), and was sold a bill of goods by her #1. It's probably time to think about working some of the new teen brigade into the U.S. mix, starting with Amanda Anisimova, who's already shown an ability for staying calm and pulling out her best game on big stages.

I'd think that sort thing is a resource that could prove quite useful in Fed Cup.
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Match #5 - Ash Barty/Priscilla Hon (AUS) def. Danielle Collins/Nicole Melichar (USA)
...6-4/7-5. If nothing else, Molik allowed Hon to have a tennis memory that'll live forever. How often does a 20-year old's FC debut occur under such circumstances *and* turn out to be so successful? Truth is, she may never experience such a moment for the *rest* of her entire Fed Cup career.


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[WORLD GROUP II]

SUI def. ITA 3-1
[Biel, SUI / HCI]
...Italy has been slip sliding down the greased-up Fed Cup pole for a few years now, but with this defeat the nation's position is likely at an all-time low since the introduction of the fabled Italian Quartet of achievers (of which only Sara Errani, in a lesser version of the original, is still kickin' around) all those years ago. As it is, the Swiss ended their three tie losing streak (the worst in 13 years) by sending Team Italia back to within one spring tie loss of a return to zone play.
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[MVP]
Belinda Bencic/SUI
...still on her way back after a few injury-depleted and/or inconsistent years, some of Bencic's best early career moments came in Fed Cup play (including a 2-0 singles blitz vs. the Pastries in France in 2014 at age 16). Coming in 1-3 in her last four FC matches, Bencic played the role of SUI #1 well, taking out Sara Errani and Camila Giorgi in straight sets, the latter win providing the clinching point in Italy's World Group demise (for who knows how long this time... because, eventually, the Italians *are* going to return to Europe/Africa zone competition).


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[RISER]
Viktorija Golubic/SUI
...Golubic made her Fed Cup name a few years ago when "The Golubic Zone" nearly engulfed the Maidens, as she knocked the Czechs back onto their heels by sweeping a pair of three-setters vs. Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova in the '16 SF (CZE still won the DD). She'd lost four straight FC singles matches since, but posted an important Day 1 win in Biel over Camila Giorgi, taking down the returning Italian team member in three sets to present the (now seemingly long ago) former champs with a hole they likely knew was too deep from which to climb out.
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[DOWN]
Camila Giorgi/ITA
...Italy has played surprisingly well in recent outings while fielding Errani-led squads filled with young FCers with virtually no Cup experience. Sure, they were hit-and-miss, but they still displayed the usual Italian fire. Maybe Team Italia should go back to that. Apparently having worked out some agreement with the Italian federation she and her father have been at war with for years, Giorgi returned to FC duty for the first time since 2016. It didn't go so well. She managed to take Golubic to three sets on Day 1, staging a comeback from 5-1 down in the 3rd to make things close. But she notched just six total games vs. Bencic in Switzerland's tie-clinching Day 2 opener. Maybe Giorgi just isn't cut out for this team thing. After all, while she's a great competitor, she was never part of that all-time group, and "doesn't watch tennis" when she's not playing it. Maybe her heart isn't totally in it anyway. There are finally a few young Italians worth giving a shot: Elisabetta Cocciaretto ('18 AO Jr. semis), Jasmine Paolini (def. Arruabarrena in '18 FC), Deborah Chiesa (who was present but never played singles this weekend), Bianca Turati (former NCAA #1), Federica Rossi ('19 AO jr. 3rd) and Lisa Pigato ('19 AO jr. 3rd), for starters. So why not just go with that this April?
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Match #1 - Belinda Bencic/SUI def. Sara Errani/ITA
...6-2/7-5. This was Errani's first match since June, as she was forced to serve out an additional stretch for her "tortellini suspension." Ultimately, she had a hand in Italy's shutout-averting dead rubber doubles win with Martina Trevisan over Bacsinszky/Voegele via a 10-5 final TB set.
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LAT def. SVK 4-0
[Riga, LAT / HCI]
...both of Latvia's top players had to struggle to get through last February's Fed Cup week, losing singles matches in zone play and then joining forces to rally to take deciding doubles contests that saved the day(s). An April win over Russia allowed the nation to host a Fed Cup tie for the first time, and Anastasija Sevastova and Alona Ostapenko's sweep of singles vs. a (very) depleted Slovak squad means the Latvians now reach the WG II stage this spring for the first time in the nation's history under the current FC format.



[MVP]
Anastasija Sevastova/LAT
...Sevastova's "second career" run continues to grow deeper and deeper roots, with her commanding role this weekend simply being the latest example for the Latvian #1. After dropping four games to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the opening set of Match #2, Sevastova allowed just five over the next three sets, bageling AKS in the 2nd and taking down Sramkova 3 & 2 on Sunday to clinch the win.
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[COMEBACK]
Alona Ostapenko/LAT
...really, especially after the top-end of the SVK roster was further decimated at the eleventh hour, the only thing standing in the way of a successful Latvian FC homecoming was Ostapenko. Dealing with an injured wrist since last season, she's rarely looked like herself over the last eight months, most of which took place in the aftermath of her career year and Roland Garros title in 2017. Last year, after a 3-4 start, Ostapenko kicked her '18 campaign into gear with a hard-fought but successful Fed Cup week (after which followed a Doha WD title, Miami WS final and Wimbledon semi before things took another downturn), so maybe this year's 1-4 opening mark (1-6 back to last fall) will also be belatedly infused with something extra after her opening singles win over Rebecca Sramkova (in a topsy-turvy, inconsistent affair), a victory which made Ostapenko the all-time LAT Fed Cup wins leader with 28 combined victories. After Sevastova clinched the win, Ostapenko teamed with Diana Marcinkevica to pick up win #29 in a dead rubber doubles contest.


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[DOWN]
Slovak good health (if such a thing exists)
...are Slovak's ever really healthy come Fed Cup time? Dominika Cibulkova was pulled from consideration for this tie early due to a virus, with Magdalena Rybarikova (what else is knew?) already still not being up to snuff even while holding down a roster spot. Viktoria Kuzmova pulled the SVK team from the fire by putting it on her back in two ties in 2018, and was set to have to do so again. Then she was pulled with an injury, too. Rebecca Sramkova did well to push Ostapenko in the opening match, but once Alona got her footing the weekend was pretty much finished except for the Arena Riga clean-up crew's assigned duties.
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Match #1 - Alona Ostapenko/LAT def. Rebecca Sramkova/SVK
...7-5/6-7(5)/6-1. Fighting back from 5-2 down to take the 1st, running away with the 3rd after dropping the 2nd to win in 2:39 and become the winningest Latvian Fed Cupper ever. Will this prove to be Ground Zero for The Thunder in 2019?

===============================================




ESP def. JPN 3-2 [dd]
[Kita-kyushu, JPN / HCI]
...Japan's one-for-all-and-all-for-one approach very nearly worked against the Spaniards. In fact, it came within a single point -- a MP in the second contest of Day 1 between Misaki Doi and Georgina Garcia-Perez -- of turning things into a runaway for the home squad. But when Doi failed to convert her opportunity at 6-5 in the 3rd set, it left the door open a crack for GGP, who was making her FC singles debut. The six-foot-two 26-year old promptly crammed her entire body through the opening. Ultimately, after leading Spain back -- from being down 1-0, being a MP from a 2-0 (and likely 3-0) deficit, then actually behind again at 2-1 -- GGP left the door, once only ajar, dangling off its mangled hinges by the end of the weekend.


Georgina Garcia-Perez/ESP
...a point away from losing to Doi and seeing Spain go down 2-0 on the road after Day 1, the big-serving GGP seized upon the Japanese player's blown opportunity and raced to a commanding lead in the deciding TB, winning it 7-2. After Kurumi Nara had put Japan up 2-1 on Day 2, Garcia-Perez again came to the rescue, winning a three-setter over Nao Hibino (who collapsed due to cramping on her way to her press conference after having won Match #1 on Saturday) to force the deciding doubles into reality. There GGP returned yet again -- like something from an old movie where a monster ravages Tokyo -- and picked up a *third* point along with Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, taking down Miyu Kato/Makoto Ninomiya (5-0 in '18 FC doubles) 1 & 3 to secure a crazy winning weekend in Japan.

Clearly, some points are bigger than others.

===============================================
[VETERAN]
Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez/ESP
...the 36-year old has a Fed Cup history that stretches back to 2008, and includes a six-year gap between 2012-16. But she hasn't ever seen anything quite like what happened in Kita-kyushu. And she got to experience the final act from somewhere even better than a front row seat.


===============================================
[DOWN]
Misaki Doi/JPN
...unfortunately for Doi, she knows a great deal about squandering a MP and then sitting back and watching things go all to hell (see Angie Kerber in the 1st Round of the '16 Australian Open, who also used a from-MP-down win over Doi to ride a wave of glory). Surely, she must have thought her teammates -- all of whom saw the the court, as is recent JPN FC tradition -- wouldn't *also* blow a 2-1 lead and then have the squad's undefeated last-line-of-defense doubles duo barely show up on the scoreboard in front of a home crowd in the tie-deciding final clash. But really, after Melbourne, she probably *should* have been braced for the absolute worst, right?
===============================================


Match #2 - Georgina Garcia-Perez/ESP def. Misaki Doi/JPN 6-2/4-6/7-6(2)
Match #4 - Georgina Garcia-Perez/ESP def. Nao Nibino 6-3/1-6/6-1
Match #5 - Georgina Garcia-Perez/Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez (ESP) def. Miyu Kato/Makota Ninomiya (JPN) 6-1/6-3
...GGP's complete weekend of Fed Cup ecstasy. After wresting away the second match of the day from Doi after being MP down, the Spaniard gradually beat down the resistance of her Japanese opponents (of which she defeated four) until they finally succumbed to her will in short order.
===============================================




CAN def. NED 4-0
['s-Hertogenbosch, NED / RCI]
...seemingly seeking an advantage, the Dutch made this tie the only of the eight in the World Group to take place on clay. But with Top 10er Kiki Bertens (no longer a clay court "specialist," but still...) absent from the roster it didn't matter much. At all, really, for Bianca Andreescu's banner '19 campaign added a few more highlight moments (#BiancaRising). Getting new captain Heidi El Tabakh off to a good start, Canada swept to its seventh win in its last eight zone/WG II ties, while NED captain Paul Haarhuis saw the Dutch squad drop its fifth of six ties since the stunning 2016 1st Round upset of a loaded Russian team.



[MVP]
Bianca Andreescu/CAN
...it's taken something special (Goerges in Auckland, Sevastova in Melbourne, both in three sets) to take down the 18-year old this season, and neither Richel Hogenkamp nor Arantxa Rus had the good to do it in 's-Hertogenbosch. Andreescu won 4 & 1 and 4 & 2, respectively, against the veteran Dutch players, running her career FC s/d mark to 10-3 (w/ all three defeats coming in three setters, often contests in which she was ultimately let down by her injured body as much as seeing her opponent turn the tables). She's now 18-2 this season, as well as 23-2 in her last twenty-five (and 35-5 since the U.S. Open).


===============================================
[FRESH FACE]
Franckie Abanda/CAN
...Team Canada's secret weapon, Abanda has traditionally been a far more dependable and successful player the last few years with a maple leaf on her attire than when she hasn't. After Andreescu got the Canadians off to a good start with an opening win, the 22-year old took a 1st set TB from Arantxa Rus and ultimately won in three. She's now 6-4 in her FC career, with previous upset wins over the likes of Yulia Putintseva, Yaroslava Shvedova, Jana Cepelova, Irina-Camelia Begu and Olga Govortsova (along with tough three-set losses to Dominka Cibulkova, Alexandra Dulgheru and Aliaksandra Sasnovich) since 2015.


===============================================
Match #4 - Gaby Dabrowski/Rebecca Marino (CAN) def. Bibiane Schoofs/Demi Schuurs (NED)
...6-2/7-5 [12-10]. Sure, it was a "dead rubber" doubles match, but it was also Marino's first FC match (and win) since 2011. The Dutch *still* couldn't catch a break this weekend, even in this match, as they held three MP en route to a fourth defeat.
===============================================




[EUROPE/AFRICA I ZONE - Bath, GBR & Zielova-Gora, POL/ HCI]
...in a pair of ongoing comeback stories, the Brits (still seeking a return to the World Group for the first time since 1993) and Russians (having dropped into zone play for the first time since 1997) fought their way back up one step on the Fed Cup ladder, going a combined 15-0 in "live rubber" singles matches over the course of the week.



While the Russians mostly coasted, distributing six straight sets wins among a group of three different players (Dasha Kasatkina-1, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova-2, Natalia Vikhlyantseva-3), the Brits were carried along on the shoulders of just two, Katie Boulter (in her FC singles debut) and Johanna Konta. Both were forced to three sets in two of the nation's three ties in pool play, handling the Greeks in a pair of deciding sets but then having to sweat out two 3rd set TB's vs. Hungary's "B" team in a final match-up battle to reach the Europe/Africa I Promotional Playoff vs Serbia. Once there, an emotionally and physically exhausted Konta again was forced to three sets by none other then Aleksandra "The Bracelet" Krunic, finally putting down the Serbian threat to clinch the win, then collapsing on the court immediately after converting MP.

=Promotional Playoff - Bath=
GBR def. SRB 2-0
Johanna Konta/GBR...in Britain's first hosted FC competition in 26 years, Konta wasn't the only member of the team to go undefeated for the week (Boulter did, too), but hers proved to be the most dramatic path in Bath. After her victory over Maria Sakkari completed a win over the Greeks, she also closed out a tough 2-0 win over Hungary to win Pool A, claiming a 3rd set TB over Anna Bondar after having earlier failed to secure a double-break lead in the set, three BP at 4-4 and another at 6-5. In the Promotional Playoff, she staged a 1st set comeback vs. Alekandra Krunic (who served for the set at 5-4 and 6-5), lost the 2nd and then collapsed on her way to the lockerroom between sets. "I progressively started feeling more and more unwell," Konta said, "feeling light-headed and shaky and feeling a little bit out of body and it got the better of me at the end of the second set." After being treated, she returned and managed to win a 6-2 3rd, then immediately collapsed just inside the baseline and had to be helped back to the changeover area to recuperate along with her celebratory teammates. "I don't even remember how the last point finished. All I remember is that the ball didn't come back and I was overcome with emotion."


=Promotional Playoff - Zielova-Gora=
RUS def. SWE 2-0
[MVP]
Natalia Vikhlyantseva/RUS
...while she was the only member of the five-member Hordette team *not* ranked in the Top 100, Vikhlyantseva was the player called upon by Captain Igor Andreev to play half of the team's six singles matches during the week. The straight sets wins, over teens Iga Swiatek and Clara Tauson in Pool play then Swede Johanna Larsson in the PP, improved her career FC singles record to 5-1.

===============================================
[SURPRISES]
Hungary, Dalma Galfi/HUN and Anna Bondar/HUN
...with Hungary's top two ranked players -- Timea Babos and Fanny Stollar -- absent, the nation's FC fate was placed on the shoulders of 21-year old Anna Bondar (#224) and 20-year old Dalma Galfi (#311). They very nearly pulled off the most remarkable run of the week, coming within a pair of 3rd set TB vs. Great Britain's Johanna Konta and Katie Boulter of defeating the heavily favored hosts in what was a winner-take-all Pool play-ending match-up between the undefeated nations. In all, Galfi posted wins over Valentini Grammatikopoulou and Kaja Juvan in singles, and joined with Reka-Luca Jani in a deciding doubles win over Greece, before falling to Boulter. Bondar's week included a Pool victory over Dalila Jakupovic, as well as the dramatic defeat at the hands of Konta.


===============================================
[COMEBACK]
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
...while Pavlyuchenkova was often called upon by, but rarely came through for, former Russian Captain Anastasia Myskina (1-4 from 2015-17), her 2-0 record this week in Poland makes her 3-1 for Igor Andreev in back-to-back ties.

===============================================
[FRESH FACES]
Katie Boulter/GBR, Olga Danilovic/SRB and Iga Swiatak/POL
...before this week, Boulter had played just two doubles matches (2-0) for GBR in Fed Cup play, but she stood tall in her singles debut in front of the home fans in Bath. Going 4-0, she led off all four ties with a Match #1 win, providing Konta with something of a safety net (via the doubles, if necessary) on what *still* turned out to be a rocky (though also undefeated) road for the veteran. In the Promotional Playoff, her straight sets win over Ivana Jorovic set the stage for a 2-0 win over Serbia that put the Brits one April playoff away from returning to the World Group in 2020 for the first time in twenty-seven years.



18-year old Danilovic, though she never got on the court in the PP final vs. GBR, led the way for a new generation of Fed Cup Serbs which included Jorovic (21) and Nina Stojanovic (22) serving under the experienced (the now "veteran") Aleksandra Krunic, 25. A WTA title winner in 2018, Danilovic had gone 2-8 since (and 0-3 in '19), but she posted Pool play wins over Jana Fett (3rd set TB) in singles and two in doubles playing alongside Krunic (including the DD win that advanced SRB to the PP over Croatia). She's now 5-0 in FC singles play, adding this week's numbers to a record that already included a win over Anastasija Sevastova in Latvia's 2-1 win over Serbia in last February's Europe/Africa I action.

Meanwhile, in her first of what will likely be many key singles roles for Poland in FC play, 17-year old Swiatek posted a win over fellow teen Clara Tauson (DEN), 16, battled 18-year old Dayana Yastremska (UKR) in a 7-6/6-4 loss and defeated 16-year old Marta Kostyuk (UKR) in doubles.
===============================================
Europe/Africa I Round Robin Match #1 - Katie Boulter/GBR def. Dalma Galfi/HUN 6-4/6-7(5)/7-6(1)
Europe/Africa I Round Robin Match #2 - Johanna Konta/GBR def. Anna Bondar/HUN 6-2/6-7(1)/7-6(4)
...with the propspect of yet another just-missed-it FC disappointment (on the heels of last April's WG II Playoff loss to Japan after leading 2-1 following Konta's defeated of Naomi Osaka), Boulter and Konta this time went to the wire to take down the "second string" Hungarians, with both coming back from a break down in the 3rd set to win a match-up that determined a berth in the Promotional Playoff vs. Serbia.



Europe/Africa I Round Robin Match #1 - Cagla Buyukakcay/TUR def. Ana Konjuh/CRO
...7-5/2-6/6-3. After going through two elbow surgeries the last two seasons, this was just Konjuh's second match since last year's Wimbledon. She'd get her first wins since June vs. Georgia, defeating Mariam Bolkvadze in singles and partnering Darija Jurak for a doubles victory.

Europe/Africa I Round Robin Match #2 - Dasha Kasatkina/RUS def. Karen Barritza/DEN
...6-0/6-4. Dasha's first on-court win of 2019. Okay, reset the table and lets begin again.

Europe/Africa I Round Robin Match #3 - Isabella Shinikova/Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) def. Anett Kontaveit/Maileen Nuudi (EST) 6-2/6-2
Europe/Africa I Round Robin Match #3 - Johanna Larsson/Rebecca Peterson (SWE) def. Anett Kontaveit/Saara Orav (EST) 2-6/6-0/6-1
...while Kontavet was 2-0 in singles, Estonia was 0-3 in Pool play. But if the nation had swept a pair of deciding doubles matches the Estonians would have been facing off with Ukraine in a final Pool match-up for a berth in PP vs. Russia.
===============================================


[ASIA/OCEANIA I ZONE - Astana, KAZ / HCI]
...finally, Kazakhstan and China lived up to advanced billing (or, in the latter's case, its greater potential), but only one could advance out of Asia/Oceania I play and into a WG II Playoff tie this April. As it turned out, it all came down to a deciding doubles match won by a pair of Kazakhs -- Anna Danilina and Galina Voskoboeva -- seperated by eleven years in age.


=Promotional Playoff=
KAZ def. CHN 2-1 [dd]
[MVP]
Zarina Diyas/KAZ
...Diyas was the only Kazakh to record a win in each of the nation's three ties this week in Astana, including her attaining of a point in the opening match of the Promotional Playoff vs. China, via a 6-3/6-2 win over Zheng Saisai. Her fourteen career FC singles victories (14-1) is tied with Yaroslava Shvedova (14-13) for the most in KAZ history.

===============================================
[RISER]
Yulia Putintseva/KAZ
...naturally, Putintseva is the emotional heart of soul of the Kazakh team. Though she didn't provide the winning point in the Promotional Playoff, she won both of her Pool matches, including one over Ankita Raina, whose upset of Putintseva had allowed India to post a round robin victory over Kazakhstan in last year's Asia/Oceania I competition.


===============================================
[VETERAN]
Zhang Shuai/CHN
...a rare big name participant in Chinese Fed cup play, Zhang's efforts *still* weren't enough. After going 3-0 in Pool play, the new Australian Open doubles champ knocked off Yulia Putintseva to hand off the tie to Yang Zhaoxuan & Zheng Saisai in the deciding doubles match. Alas...
===============================================
[DOUBLES]
Anna Danilina/Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ)
...Danilina, 23, made her FC debut in Astana a successful one, teaming with 34-year old Voskoboeva in three doubles contests, winning them all. The final victory came in the Promotional Playoff's deciding doubles contest, as the pair defeated Yang & Zheng 7-5/6-0 to move KAZ into April's WG II Playoffs for the third time ever, a result which matches the nation's best advancement in FC competition. Voskoboeva is Kazakhstan's all-time leader in total FC wins (28), doubles wins (20), ties (32) and seasons (9).

===============================================
Asia/Oceania Round Robin Match #2 - Yulia Putintseva/KAZ def. Ankita Raina/IND
...6-1/7-6(4). Putintseva wins the rematch of the upset that essentially launched Raina into what was her career year last February.
===============================================


[AMERICAS I ZONE - Medellin, COL / RCO]
...after having handed over the unofficial "South American" crown a year ago in a Promotional Playoff loss to Paraguay, the Brazilians authoritatively snatched it back by winning the PP rematch against their continental rivals, closing out a week that saw the nation win all four of its ties while often depending not on the team's most recognized member, Beatriz Haddad Maia, but on a player appearing in just her second career tie -- Carolina Alves.

=Promotional Playoff=
BRA def. PAR 2-0
[MVP]
Carolina Meligeni Rodrigues Alves/BRA
...the 22-year old (#347) Brazilian #2 proved to be the team's rock in Medellin, going undefeated (4-0) in the first singles matches of her Fed Cup career and providing evidence -- with wins over Fernanda Brito, Catalina Pella and Montserrat Gonzalez while dropping just one set -- that she could finally give her nation the sort of one-two punch that will not only keep it firmly atop the South American/Americas mountain in FC play, but quite possibly give a team or two a run for its money in the WG II Playoffs.

===============================================
[COMEBACK]
Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
...already on her way back from a wrist injury, Haddad was forced to clean up some messes of her own making in Colombia. Twice in Pool play she teamed with Luisa Stefani to win deciding doubles matches after having loss her earlier singles match (vs. Monica Puig/PUR and Victoria Bosio/ARG). Then, in the PP, a year after she'd been on the opposite side of the net from Veronica Cepede Royg at this very same stage, saving three MP and holding three of her own before finally losing the 3:20 battle (longer w/ a rain delay), as VCR clinched Paraguay's victory, Hadded returned the favor. After Alves had defeated Montserrat Gonzalez to get within a win over PP clinch, Haddad did the honors by allowing Cepede Royg just five total games.

View this post on Instagram

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===============================================
[VETERAN]
Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR
...as the top-ranked South American involved in Americas I play (discounting Puerto Rico's Monica Puig, the sole Top 100 players, as well as the continent's current -- but absent -- #1 Mariana Duque Marino/COL), and the lead player on 2018's zone winning Paraguayan squad, VCR was loaded with responsibility. She won all three of her Pool play singles match-ups, including a PP appearance clinching victory over Renata Zarazua that eliminated Mexico. But after downing Haddad Maia to win last year's PP, she came up on the losing end against the Brazilian this time around as the 2-0 winning script was flipped on Paraguay. Still, VCR's 3-1 weekend edges her just a little closer in every category toward moving past Larissa Schaerer (1991-2004) as her nation's all-time FC player. Her 56 overall wins is eight off the PAR record, while her 35 singles victories (record: 39), 48 ties (55) and twelve years (13) of service are also on the edge of being record-breaking.
===============================================

[JUNIOR STAR]
Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL
...the 17-year old is already 8-2 in her FC singles career. She was 4-0 this week alone, posting wins over the likes of Victoria Rodriguez (MEX) and Montserrat Gonzalez (PAR), while also winning a deciding doubles match with Emiliana "The Backwards Cap" Arango over Paraguay.
===============================================
Americas I Round Robin Match #2 - Monica Puig/PUR def. Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
...6-2/4-6/6-4. Puig, in her first outing since naming Kamau Murray (ex-Sloane Stephens) as her new coach, went 3-0 in singles, including a win over Brazil's #1. Already Puerto Rico's all-time leader in wins (30) and singles victories (22), her 28th tie and 7th year of service puts Vilmarie Castellvi's marks (34 and 9) squarely within her sights.

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===============================================


[EUROPE/AFRICA II ZONE - Esch-sur-Alzette, LUX / HCI]
...few big surprises were afoot in Esch-sur-Alzette, as the host Luxembourg squad won all ten of its "live" singles matches, while Austria won five of six as the two nations swept a pair of Promotional Playoff match-ups.

=Promotional Playoffs=
LUX def. TUN 2-0
AUT def. ISR 2-0
[MVP's]
Mandy Minella/LUX
...as the "mother figure" (literally and figuratively) of the Luxembourg team, Minella held up her end for the host nation, going 4-0 (+ 1-0 in doubles) and clinching the PP win over Tunisia with a straight sets win over Ons Jabeur (TUN). Of note, Minella wasn't the oldest member of the LUX team -- that'd be two-years-her-senior Claudine Schaul, 35, who was playing in her 64th career FC tie since 1998. Schaul won one of two doubles matches, but still finds herself behind Anne Kremer -- the Luxembourg Captain -- on most of the nation's all-time lists, with Minella not far behind *her*.



Melanie Klaffner/AUT
...Klaffner began her FC duty back in 2006. She's managed to become the "survivor" of Austrian women's tennis, as the likes of Sybille Bammer, Yvonne Meusburger, Patricia Mayr-Achleitner and Tamira Paszek have drifted away in the interim. At 28, she's now the senior Austrian player on tour. She returned to FC action in '18 after a five year absence, winning one match. She doubled up on that total this week (making her 6-7 in her FC career), and added a deciding doubles win over Tunisia in Pool play while partnering AUT #1 Barbara Haas.


===============================================
[RISER]
Barbara Haas/AUT
...the 22-year old shared Austria's singles duties along with Klaffner, going 2-1. She lost a love 3rd set to Ons Jabeur in Pool play in a 2-1 win over Tunisia, joining with Klaffner to win the deciding doubles. In the Promotional Playoff against Israel, her straight sets win over Maya Tahan clinched AUT's 2-0 sweep of the Israelis.

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Yes, we did it! #teamaustria ????????

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===============================================
[SURPRISE]
Francisca Jorge/POR
...Jorge, 18, has played Fed Cup for Portugal before, and was the highest ranked (though only #648) member of the team in Europe/Africa II zone play. But from 2017-18, she was just 1-2 in singles and 0-5 in doubles. This past week she was 3-1 in singles matches (losing to Minella) and 1-1 in doubles, posting a win over RSA's Chanel Simmonds as well as collecting a deciding doubles victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina. Jorge had a hand in four of Portugal's five points on the week, including both in the 2-1 relegation playoff win over BIH.
===============================================
[FRESH FACES]
Eleonora Molinaro/LUX and Lina Glushko/ISR
...Molinaro, 18, joined Minella in having an undefeated (4-0 singles/2-0 doubles) weekend, opening the PP with a singles victory over Chiraz Bechri in Luxembourg's 2-0 triumph. Having made her FC debut in 2015 at age 14, Molinaro has already played 20 ties, going 13-7/4-3.

All of 19-year old Glushko's 2018 FC matches were played alongside older sister Julia, as they went 2-2 in Europe/Africa II play. She was sister-less in Luxembourg, though, and took on a much heavier schedule in her first outing of her second FC season. 4-2 overall (2-1/2-1), Glushko staked her claim as the #1 player among Israel's newest generation.
===============================================
Europe/Africa II Pool A Round Robin Match #3 - Barbara Haas/Melanie Klaffner (AUT) def. Chiraz Bechri/Ons Jabeur (TUN)
...6-4/6-4. Though it came on the first day of Pool play, this deciding doubles win proved to be as close to defeat as the Austrians would come all week in Luxembourg.
===============================================




Captain Florin Segarceanu (ROU) = "To become the big dogs you have to take down the big dogs. (clears throat) Well..."
Captain Julien Benneteau (FRA) = "Why all the fretting? If we respect one another, all will be fine."
Captain Alicia Molik (AUS) = "Were my Sunday choices 'gut instinct' or 'luck?' What do you mean? It worked out, didn't it? So it's 'gut.' Case closed.
Captain Anne Keothavong (GBR) = "Don't celebrate *too* much yet -- we've still got another round to win."
Captain Anabel Medina-Garrigues (ESP) = "Just call me the Spaniard Whisperer."
Captain Tatiana Poutchek (BLR) = "All right, now THIS is what I signed up for!"
Former Captains Amelie Mauresmo & Yannick Noach (FRA) = (together, in French) "Julien, I didn't know you could even DO that! And by that I mean depend on Alize, not bench Kiki. Although, *that* really might have rooted some troubling issues out a long time ago, huh?"
Captain Igor Andreev (RUS) = "Steady is as steady does."
Captain Heidi El Tabakh (CAN) = "I got myself a piece of that #BiancaRising candy, and it tastes pretty good, eh?"
Captain Adrians Zguns (LAT) = "And remember, we've got some juniors cooking up in the back room ready to provide us with a some additional depth, as well."
Captain Roberta Burzgali (BRA) = "Muy bueno."
Captain Heinz Gunthardt (SUI) = "The dream team days are gone... they never really materialized, did they? But you just keep putting one foot in front of the other and hope for the best."
Captain Dias Dostarayev (KAZ) = "One of these days..."
Captain Anne Kremer (LUX) = "Luxembourg Fed Cup tennis is a multigeneraal affair. I played ties with two members of the current roster that I oversee, and together we're ushering in the current crop of teen would-be contributors. Home is where the Fed Cup heart is."
Captain Petr Pala (CZE) = "Contrary to recent anecdotal evidence, you really *can't* win them all."
Captain Gabor Juhasz (HUN) = "You give me seconds, I (almost) give you firsts in return." (Patting self on back, at least.)
Captain Mikhail Filima (UKR) = "Yes, we lost in Pool play. But have you seen the young players in the Ukrainian pipeline? We're going to be very good, very soon. I promise."
Captain Catalina Castano (COL) = "Brazil has Haddad, but we have Osorio Serrano *and* Arango. The future is bright."
Captain Marion Maruska (AUT) = "We don't have the pick of the crop, we do all right."
Captain Kathy Rinaldi (USA) = "Sometimes you place your trust in the wrong people and they let you down. But we're get 'em next time. I hope."
Captain Tatjana Jecmenica (SRB) = "When the Bracelet loses a big match in FC, you know the fates were probably against you from the start."
Captain Yang Wei-Guang (CHN) = "One of these days..."
Captain Tzipora Hirsh-Obziler (ISR) = "One Glushko was nice, but two might have made the difference."
Captain Jans Gerlach (GER) - "Umm, now THIS isn't what I signed up for. Nein, nein, nein."
Captain Matek Liptak (SVK) = "Maybe we should invest in additional trainers? Or maybe faith healers? Acupuncturists? Hmmm... I know! Transformers! That's what we need to make Slovaia great again. (Sing with me) 'Transformers... Slovaks in disguise!'"
Captain Paul Haarhuis (NED) = "Hey, I think I pretty much told you that I was as surprised by our success a few years ago as much as all of you were."
Captain Johan Van Herck (BEL) = "What did I do to deserve this, Elise? Alize?"
Captain Tathiana Garbin (ITA) - "*Someone* has to preside over the end of days, right?"
Former Captain Anastasia Myskina (RUS) = (hands on hips with incredulous look on face)
Captain Toshihisa Tsuchihashi (JPN) = (hand on hip with incredulous look on face, using other hand to desperately search for his phone to reach Naomi Osaka)
Former Captain Mary Joe Fernandez (USA) = "See, Kathy. Sometimes it just won't work out no matter what you do. Of course, I always made a point to make it *more* difficult, but that was just moi." (wink)







=2019 Semifinals (April)=
Romania at France
Belarus at Australia
=World Group I Playoff Teams (April)=
Belgium
Canada
Czech Republic
Germany
Latvia
Spain
Switzerland
United States
=World Group II Playoff Teams (April)=
Brazil
Great Britain
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Netherlands
Russia
Slovakia

**FED CUP TITLES**
18 - United States
11 - Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia
7 - Australia
5 - Spain
4 - Italy
4 - Russia
2 - France
2 - West Germany/Germany
1 - Belgium
1 - Slovakia
1 - South Africa
[Finals in the 2010's]
6...Czech Republic (6-0)
3...United States (1-2)
3...Russia (0-3)
2...Italy (2-0)
1...Belarus (0-1)
1...France (0-1)
1...Germany (0-1)
1...Serbia (0-1)

*FED CUP FINALS*
1963 United States def. Australia 2-1
1964 Australia def. United States 2-1
1965 Australia def. United States 2-1
1966 United States def. West Germany 3-0
1967 United States def. Great Britain 2-0
1968 Australia def. Netherlands 3-0
1969 United States def. Australia 2-1
1970 Australia def. West Germany 3-0
1971 Australia def. Great Britain 3-0
1972 South Africa def. Great Britain 2-1
1973 Australia def. South Africa 3-0
1974 Australia def. United States 2-1
1975 Czechoslovakia def. Australia 3-0
1976 United States def. Australia 2-1
1977 United States def. Australia 2-1
1978 United States def. Australia 2-1
1979 United States def. Australia 3-0
1980 United States def. Australia 3-0
1981 United States def. Great Britain 3-0
1982 United States def. West Germany 3-0
1983 Czechoslovakia def. West Germany 2-1
1984 Czechoslovakia def. Australia 2-1
1985 Czechoslovakia def. United States 2-1
1986 United States def. Czechoslovakia 3-0
1987 West Germany def. United States 2-1
1988 Czechoslovakia def. USSR 2-1
1989 United States def. Spain 3-0
1990 United States def. USSR 2-1
1991 Spain def. United States 2-1
1992 Germany def. Spain 2-1
1993 Spain def. Australia 3-0
1994 Spain def. United States 3-0
1995 Spain def. United States 3-2
1996 United States def. Spain 5-0
1997 France def. Netherlands 4-1
1998 Spain def. Switzerland 3-2
1999 United States def. Russia 4-1
2000 United States def. Spain 5-0
2001 Belgium def. Russia 2-1
2002 Slovak Republic def. Spain 3-1
2003 France def. United States 4-1
2004 Russia def. France 3-2
2005 Russia def. France 3-2
2006 Italy def. Belgium 3-2
2007 Russia def. Italy 4-0
2008 Russia def. Spain 4-0
2009 Italy def. United States 4-0
2010 Italy def. United States 3-1
2011 Czech Republic def. Russia 3-2
2012 Czech Republic def. Serbia 3-1
2013 Italy def. Russia 4-0
2014 Czech Republic def. Germany 3-1
2015 Czech Republic def. Russia 3-2
2016 Czech Republic def. France 3-2
2017 United States def. Belarus 3-2
2018 Czech Republic def. United States 3-0

*BACKSPIN "FED CUP PLAYER OF THE YEAR" WINNERS*
2005 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2006 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2007 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2008 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2009 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2010 Flavia Pennetta, ITA
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2012 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2013 Roberta Vinci, ITA
2014 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2015 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2016 Caroline Garcia, FRA*
2017 CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
2018 Petra Kvitova, CZE
--
*-non-championship team member

*BACKSPIN "FED CUP CAPTAIN OF THE YEAR" WINNERS*
2015 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA*
2016 Paul Haarhuis, NED*
2017 Kathy Rinaldi, USA
2018 Kathy Rinaldi, USA*
--
*-non-championship team captain

*FC TITLE AS PLAYER and CAPTAIN*
Margaret Court (Australia)
Chris Evert (United States)
Billie Jean King (United States)
--
RECENT NOTE: Lisa Raymond/USA (as player and assistant coach)

*MOST TITLES AS A PLAYER*
8 - Chris Evert, USA
7 - Billie Jean King, USA
6 - Rosie Casals, USA
6 - Petra Kvitova, CZE*
--
*-active

*CZECH REPUBLIC TITLE YEARS SINCE 2011*
[2011]
1st: def. SVK (A)
SF: def. BEL (A) - 3-2 DD (Benesova/Strycova)
F: def. RUS (A) - 3-2 DD (Hradecka/Ka.Pliskova)
[2012]
1st: def. GER (A)
SF: def. ITA (H)
F: def. SVK (H)
[2014]
1st: def. ESP (A) - 3-2 DD (Hlavackova/Strycova)
SF: def. ITA (H)
F: def. GER (H)
[2015]
1st: def. CAN (A)
SF: def. FRA (H)
F: def. RUS (H) - 3-2 DD (Ka.Pliskova/Strycova)
[2016]
1st: def. ROU (A) - 3-2 DD (Ka.Pliskova/Strycova)
SF: def. SUI (A) - 3-2 DD (Ka.Pliskova/Hradecka)
F: def. FRA (A) - 3-2 DD (Ka.Pliskova/Strycova)
[2018]
1st: def. SUI (H)
SF: def. GER H)
F: def. USA (H)

*CZECH REPUBLIC NON-TITLE YEARS SINCE 2011*
[2013]
1st: def. AUS (H)
SF: lost to ITA 1-3
[2017]
1st: def. ESP (H)
SF: lost to USA (A) - 2-3 DD (Mattek-Sands/Vandeweghe d. Kr.Pliskova/Siniakova)
[2019]
1st: lost to ROU (H) - 2-3 DD (Begu/Niculescu d. Krejcikova/Siniakova)



ITF PLAYER: Lucie Hradecka/CZE
...well, at least one Czech had a winning weekend. The 33-year old, a member of five Fed Cup winning Czech squads, took the title at the $25K challenger in Trnava, Slovakia, defeating Kristina Kucova in a 3rd set TB 7-0. 0-7 in career WTA singles finals, Hradecka (currently #456 in singles, #29 in doubles) has now won nineteen on the ITF level.

===============================================
JUNIOR STAR: Charlotte Chavatipon/USA
...another Grade 1, another Bannerette champion. This time it's 16-year old Chavatipon (jr. #155), who dropped just twelve total games over five matches while claiming the Asuncion Bowl crown in Lambare, Paraguay. The #12 seed, she knocked off three seeds en route, wrapping things up with a win over #9 Shavit Kimchi (ISR) in the final.


===============================================









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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:07 AM 

18 Comments:

Blogger Diane said...

I kind of feel for Rinaldi. I, too, assumed Kenin would come through this time. Her mediocre performances puzzle me; I would have thought her a natural for Fed Cup.

And the Kiki “situation” appears much larger than Fed Cup. What has happened to her? Never a model of consistency (must be a French thing), she did have many moments of singles brilliace in the past.

Mon Feb 11, 10:22:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

1950's Yankees, 60's Celtics, 70's Canadiens, 80's 49ers, 90's Bulls, 21st century Patriots, 10's Czech Republic?They are worthy.

And Sharapova's outfit is supposed to be ???

Let's show some love for Ana Bogdan. The Romanian, who hasn't won a match this year, was the only member not to get on court this weekend. And with Halep going full on Liesel Huber, Bogdan is the one in yellow behind her, just as engaged.

My only bad pick was Italy, but more on that later.

Barty and Garcia Perez for MVP. Barty making three points in a tie seem routine.

Stat of the Week- 43- The number of years it has been since Romania made the Fed Cup Final.

Hmmm, if Romania is making the SF for the first time since 1973, when they lost to South Africa, how could they have made the final in 1976?

I will clarify. Although it is true that the final was USA d AUS, they had a different format in 1976. Romania beat the USSR, then lost to Australia. This put them into the consolation bracket, in which they beat Spain, Korea, and in the consolation final, France.

The similarity between then and now is interesting. That team was led by future French Open winner Virginia Ruzici and future French Open finalist Florenta Mihai. So having 3 time finalist and one time champion Simona Halep on this year's team seems like poetic justice.

Quiz time!
Victoria Azarenka has won 13 straight Fed Cup matches-both singles/doubles. Who is the last woman to have defeated her?

A.Jelena Pandzic
B.Sybille Bammer
C.Anett Kontaveit
D.Agnieszka Radwanska
E.Eleni Danilidou


More Up/Down Side with Doha being a Premier.






Answer!
This is kind of random, but fun to discover. (C)Kontaveit is the wrong answer, mainly because they aren't playing each other now. No, Anett had the unfortunate task of leading a Kanepi less Estonia team as a 15 yr old in 2011. She lost 3 ties, only won 2 games vs Azarenka, and still was the best choice as Margit Ruutel lost 0 and 0 in rubber #2.

It is not (E)Danilidou, although like the Kontaveit match, it was played in 2011. Nor is it (A)Pandzic, and that was also in 2011. You see, Belarus was still in Group 1, so they were in a pod in which they played multiple teams, ending up playing 5 that year. One reason why you have 5 choices.

It is not (D)Radwanska. Although she won 10 games, losing 7-5, 7-5, it wasn't enough.

So that leaves (B)Bammer as your answer. Or does it? Bammer's loss in 2011 was the one that started Azarenka's current streak. But she actually is the correct answer, because Belarus and Austria also met in 2010. And Bammer won.

Mon Feb 11, 11:09:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Up Side.

1.Halep- The risky pick for this week. Last year, only 1 of 8 QF had also played Fed Cup. The one was Kvitova, who won the title. With 12 of 24 direct entries having played Fed Cup, the numbers should be higher. Late note-down to 11 as Barty is out.
2.Pliskova/Pliskova- Teamwork makes the dream work. For the first time since New Haven, and only the 3rd time in the last 2 years, Team Pliskova will play doubles in Doha. With Team Williams probably not showing up unitl 2020 Olympics, this is the most anticipated sister pairing.
3.Osaka- The WTA answer to Amy Acuff. Acuff is a retired Olympic high jumper, who, when she does well in her sport literally raises the bar. Osaka metaphorically has done that numerous times over the last year. Need a title-check. Need to beat Serena-check. Need to beat Serena in a slam final-check. Need to beat a lefty that shows up for finals-check. Become number 1-check. Back injury seems more like a Serena break than a worrisome injury.
4.Svitolina-Bailed on Fed Cup, so she should be rested enough to take advantage. Plus, although she has never won Doha, she has won Dubai the last two years, so she plays well in the region.
5.Bertens- As some have projected, as a chance to be in the Top 5 after Dubai. Another Fed Cup skipper that seems to be in form.

Mon Feb 11, 11:20:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Down Side.

1.Germany-Kerber and Goerges are north of 30. So are Petkovic and Gronefeld. Hold the dubious distinction with the new Fed Cup rules of being the only team in WG 1 or 2 to have all 5 players lose a rubber.
2.Giorgi-NHL fans know that there is hockey, and then there is playoff hockey. This was my bad pick of the weekend, because I misjudged Giorgi's Fed Cup fire. After being gone for three years Giorgi didn't bring it, while Golubic did, leaving her as the highest ranked player in a tie going 0-2. Mertens did also, but Garcia is ranked higher.
3.Gavrilova- The reason to pick the US was that I though Gavrilova would lose twice. Molik smartly only played her up 2-1. But now on a 6 match losing streak, it will get worse before it gets better. Part of Gavrilova's charm is being slightly unhinged, emotional, always antsy. The spark is missing, and she seemed almost despondent on court yesterday.
4.Buzarnescu- Losing streak now at 9. Still was the right move to play her twice, and save the Hua Hin winners for the deciding rubber. But starting to get into the point of the season where she defends a chunk of points. I don't think she needs to play ITF events, put playing Monterrey instead of just premiers might be a better idea.
5.Ostapenko-Just tempering expectations as she is trending up. Squeaked by Sramkova, and could have easily lost that match. Opens vs Buzarnescu, and arguably her loss last year to Buzarnescu changed the career arc for both. Then gets Halep, who is playing like a #1. A good test, but not expecting a win. If she surprises me, she would be on track to defend her IW/Miami points.

Mon Feb 11, 11:37:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

D-
Agree on Kenin. Although, I guess it *is* a little tough to hold it against her for losing to Barty. I do wonder whether Rinaldi would have gone with Collins in that match on Saturday had she not apparently needed an extra day to get over whatever illness she had. Barty still would have probably won, though.

C-
Yeah, your picks were very good. Kudos on Romania (you're now back to level in a rush after the Andreescu thing). :P

I *am* a little irked you got/I missed the ESP/JPN tie. Doi and MP's, I'm tellin' ya.

Ended up being happy to miss FRA/BEL, especially the way it played out. Sort of saw AUS/USA coming (even back in the Prediction Blowout) but I just couldn't pull the trigger. :/

Quiz: Ah, I looked this up on Sunday to see who it was. So I knew it was Bammer. ;)

(I believe Vika retired from that match, by the way.)

So, we'll get a Fed Cup champ from:

BLR (never won)
FRA (last won in 2003)
ROU (never won)
AUS (last won in 1974)

When the Maidens are away, the rest will play...

I'll be interesting to see if *everyone* shows up for the BLR/AUS tie (considering the nations and the situation, I'd expect all the biggies will be there). That's a lot to ask to head off to Australia in the middle of clay season. I'm thinking the Belarusians were probably rooting for the U.S. so the trip wouldn't be so long.

Romania at France could get prickly, especially in the stands. I wonder if Kiki will play? The more I think about it, I really *do* wonder if she bristled over Benneteau wanting Garcia to play #1 and Mladenovic felt her "unworthy" of the slot because of the last two years. It sounds *so* much like a Kiki thought pattern. If so, Benneteau is an instant hero.

Ooh, if Bertens gets to the Top 5 so soon that'll check off one of my preseason predictions. :)

Mon Feb 11, 03:16:00 PM EST  
Blogger Hoergren said...

A little bit schocking to hear that Sacha and Naomi part ways - is she an idiot or what? He helphed her with winnig a mandatory + 2 slams? DO you know anything about the reason?

Mon Feb 11, 11:00:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Haven't heard anything yet, though I've wondered if maybe she, since she's already reached #1, didn't want to go along with some sort of rigorous training schedule that Sascha insisted on (and was committed to by past players he's worked with).

I hope it doesn't have anything to do with him getting a lot of credit for what she's done over the past year and someone (her, her family) not liking that. That wouldn't be a good sign.

Then again, maybe he wanted a raise (and could get more money elsewhere in a heartbeat) after all her success (and new endorsements) and she balked at that. The more I think about that one the more it might make sense.

If she has a bad Indian Wells after winning it last year, it's going to be an even bigger story, too.

Of course, this sort of thing has become par for the course in the WTA in recent years. So many players have parted ways with coaches after career seasons. I'm more surprised it happened in the middle of a season than it happened at all, I think.

Of course, now Sascha is a free agent again. ;) (Hopefully Alona will give him a call. Of course, there are a LOT of possible landing spots.)

Tue Feb 12, 02:13:00 PM EST  
Blogger Diane said...

My gut feeling, too, is that he wanted a raise and didn't get it--or perhaps an extension of his contract.

Someone suggested she was pressured to get a Japanese coach, but that doesn't sound as plausible as it being just a garden variety contract dispute.

People are getting really uppity about "Naomi did this, not Sascha." Yes, but--Naomi's talent wasn't going to get her anywhere without some finesse and some discipline.

It also seems quite plausible, as you suggested, that Naomi wasn't willing to go along with Sascha's program.

Tue Feb 12, 08:33:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

As with so many things regarding Osaka, there are probably a number of angles to the story.

The fact is, all coaches are essentially employees, and pretty much *always* temporary ones. The days of a player having one coach their entire career, or for the better part of a decade are O-V-E-R (aside from situations like w/ Wozniacki). It's a business, on both sides of the relationship. And once a coach gets unceremoniously dumped after getting results (if not in the case of Sascha, it's certainly been the case with others -- and *all* coaches see that and surely put themselves in the shoes of another) they can't help but go into every situation looking out for themselves, as well as for a potentially self-advantageous exit, should it be necessary.

It makes the Halep/Cahill pairing especially unique, I guess, as it lasted quite a while (by current standards), and seemed to include a real connection. Hence, his continuing to provide an ear and occasional help now even after he's stepped away.

Whatever it is, Osaka has now put a lot more (unnecessary) pressure on herself, as well as an (unwanted) harsher spotlight should things not go 100% smoothly.

Tue Feb 12, 10:02:00 PM EST  
Blogger Diane said...

Well said, Todd.

Tue Feb 12, 11:27:00 PM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

With Halep/Tsurenko and Pliskova/Mertens, we are guaranteed to have at least 2 Fed Cup participants in Doha QF. The rest are dropping like flies.

The coaching moved shocked me, but it shouldn't. If Venus/Witt can split up, anybody can. What does surprise me is that most of the moves recently have been right wen women reach the Top 10 or win a slam. Halep, Kerber, and Osaka won the last 4 slams and each have made changes.

Makes Serena/Patrick M. seem stable.

Wed Feb 13, 07:23:00 AM EST  
Blogger jo shum said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

Wed Feb 13, 08:54:00 AM EST  
Blogger jo shum said...

I was looking for answer On Osaka bajin split and saw some insights here. Even if bajin asking for a raise , I personally think it’s well
Worth it. From a breakout star to world number one, you share your success.

Wed Feb 13, 08:55:00 AM EST  
Blogger colt13 said...

And my post is already out of date. Pliskova/Mertens will happen, but Kristyna replaces Karolina, as the have so many LL playing that they went back a round. Also did for Arruabarrena.

Wed Feb 13, 09:14:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

C-
Ah, yes -- Serena & PM are another great example/anomaly. But I guess since her inner circle is so tight and exclusive, I don't think she'd have it any other way. He even made it through his actions/comments at the U.S. Open without a loss of status, so that was a good loyalty test, I guess.

J-
I agree if that was the case. The coaches really do have to look out for themselves these days, since they're essentially at the mercy/whims of the player in such circumstances. If he *did* overplay his hand, well, then I guess that was a learning experience for him, as well.

Wed Feb 13, 01:17:00 PM EST  
Blogger Hoergren said...

Well - many good remarks and interesting thoughts about Osaka you have, and I agree with the raise and then I think the parents have a bit to do with it. She's still only 21 and a nice girl and maybe they saw a wolf in Sascha - nah. The only think I hope for Osaka is that she won't get an Ostapenko (meltdown)- let's see what happens. More worried right now abou Caroline she's suffering a great deal from her illness and the cold temperatures in Doha didn't make any good to that. If she keep on getting problems I think it's her final season. I saw it coming in Auckland where she played flawless a couple of matches and lost because the movement and sparkles were gone - again we'll see. Think Sascha could return to Vika again.

Thu Feb 14, 05:58:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

I've been wondering about Wozniacki and whether she's learned how to deal with her condition over the course of the full year. It'll be interesting to see how things play out there. :\

I considered a Vika/Sascha reunification, but she *did* just bring aboard Wim Fissette again. Although he doesn't tend to stick around anywhere for *too* long.

Thu Feb 14, 12:27:00 PM EST  
Blogger Diane said...

It’s actually possible for Wozniacki to put the r.a. into remission, but I doubt anyone will show her how because she is probably relying on doctors :( Although I did hear she was looking into other sources.....

Thu Feb 14, 04:41:00 PM EST  

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