2011 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas First Round Matches were played this past weekend, and here is a recap of what happened, and who moves on from here. In the World Group semifinals, to be played 16-17 April, Belgium will be at home to Czech Republic and Russia will host defending champions Italy.
The draws for the World Group Play-offs and World Group II Play-offs, also to be played on 16-17 April, will be held at the ITF offices in London at 10:00 GMT on Wednesday 9 February.
In the World Group Play-offs, the four World Group first round losers, Australia, France, Slovak Republic and USA, will be joined by the four World Group II first round winners, Germany, Serbia, Spain and Ukraine.
The ITF has announced the seeds for the Draw for the 2011 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group and World Group II play-offs. The Draw will take place on Wednesday 9 February at the ITF offices in London at 10:00 GMT. The seeds are based on the new ITF Fed Cup Nations Ranking of 7 February.
The four seeded nations in the World Group Play-offs are Australia, Slovak Republic, Spain and USA.
Each of the seeds will be drawn against one of the following unseeded nations: France, Germany, Serbia and Ukraine.
The four seeded nations in the World Group II Play-offs are Argentina, Canada, Estonia and Switzerland.
Each of the seeds will be drawn against one of the following unseeded nations: Belarus, Japan, Slovenia and Sweden.
The 2011 World Group and World Group II play-offs will take place alongside the World Group semifinals on 16-17 April. In the semifinals, Russia will be at home to Italy, and Belgium will be at home to Czech Republic.
In the World Group II Play-offs, the four World Group II first round losers, Canada, Estonia, Slovenia and Sweden, will be joined by the four Zone Group qualifiers, Argentina (Americas Zone Group I), Japan (Asia/Oceania Zone Group I), Belarus and Switzerland (Europe/Africa Zone Group I).
Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with 90 nations entered in 2011. The event was established in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the ITF.
WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND
ITALY defeated AUSTRALIA 4-1
Venue: Domain Tennis Centre, Hobart, AUS (hard – outdoors)
Jarmila Groth (AUS) d. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 67(4) 63 63
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Samantha Stosur (AUS) 76(5) 67(5) 64
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Samantha Stosur (AUS) 76(1) 36 75
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Jarmila Groth (AUS) 62 63
Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (ITA) d. Anastasia Rodionova/Rennae Stubbs (AUS) 26 76(1) 64
RUSSIA defeated FRANCE 3-2
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Moscow, RUS (hard – indoors)
Alize Cornet (FRA) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 36 63 64
Virginie Razzano (FRA) d. Maria Sharapova (RUS) 63 64
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Alize Cornet (FRA) 36 63 62
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Virginie Razzano (FRA) 64 64
Svetlana Kuznetsova/Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Julie Coin/Alize Cornet (FRA) 76(4) 60
CZECH REPUBLIC defeated SLOVAK REPUBLIC 3-2
Venue: Sibamac Arena, Bratislava, SVK (hard – indoors)
Lucie Safarova (CZE) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 75 61
Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 62 63
Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 64 62
Jana Cepelova (SVK) d. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 57 76(5) ret.
Jana Cepelova/Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. Kveta Peschke/Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) 61 46 76(4)
BELGIUM defeated USA 4-1
Venue: Sportpaleis Antwerp, Antwerp, BEL (hard – indoors)
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 61 76(6)
Kim Clijsters (BEL) d. Melanie Oudin (USA) 60 64
Kim Clijsters (BEL) d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 67(10) 62 61
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Melanie Oudin (USA) 62 60
Liezel Huber/Vania King (USA) d. Kirsten Flipkens/An-Sophie Mestach (BEL) 63 75
WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND
SPAIN defeated ESTONIA 4-1
Venue: Tere Tennis Club, Tallinn, EST (hard – indoors)
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) d. Anett Kontaveit (EST) 62 60
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 63 62
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) d. Kaia Kanepi (EST) 36 64 63
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) d. Anett Kontaveit (EST) 62 62
Nuria Llagostera Vives/Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) d. Maret Ani/Margit Ruutel (EST) 61 76(5)
GERMANY defeated SLOVENIA 4-1
Venue: Ljudski vrt Sports Hall, Maribor, SLO (clay – indoors)
Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Masa Zec-Peskiric (SLO) 63 64
Polona Hercog (SLO) d. Julia Goerges (GER) 75 64
Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. Polona Hercog (SLO) 61 62
Julia Goerges (GER) d. Masa Zec-Peskiric (SLO) 64 62
Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Tatjana Malek (GER) d. Polona Hercog/Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) 76(3) ret.
SERBIA defeated CANADA 3-2
Venue: Spens Sports Center, Novi Sad, SRB (hard – indoors)
Rebecca Marino (CAN) d. Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) 63 36 75
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) d. Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 64 75
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) d. Rebecca Marino (CAN) 76(3) 63
Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. Ana Jovanovic (SRB) 60 64
Bojana Jovanovski/Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) d. Sharon Fichman/Marie-Eve Pelletier (CAN) 76(5) 64
UKRAINE defeated SWEDEN 3-2
Venue: Idrottens Hus, Helsingborg, SWE (hard – indoors)
Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 63 62
Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) d. Johanna Larsson (SWE) 76(2) 76(5)
Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 76(3) 64
Johanna Larsson (SWE) d. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 67(3) 62 63
Kateryna Bondarenko/Olga Savchuk (UKR) d. Sofia Arvidsson/Johanna Larsson (SWE) 75 62
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