Billie Jean King Cup: Austria has to go to the USA
Difficult task for Marion Maruska's team: next spring, they will be away against the USA for a place in the final round of the Billie Jean King Cup.
by PM/red
last edit: Nov 13, 2022, 04:37 pm
Team Austria goes America! The Alpstar Austria Billie Jean King Cup Team drew a real hammer ticket in the qualifying draw for the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals 2023, which took place on Sunday at 14:00 CET in Glasgow (Scotland). After the heroic 3-2 home win over Latvia, who had been clearly favored in the Multiversum Schwechat on Friday and Saturday, the ÖTV ladies are now expecting an absolute world tennis power as a reward. The team of team captain Marion Maruska meets on 14./15. April 2023 in an away game against the USA, who are seeded at five. The winners of this encounter will take part in the highly prized final tournament of the twelve best nations next year. In the direct duels with the USA they are 2:7 behind, but of all things they were able to win the last two meetings back then in Charlotte 2002 (3:2) and in the Bergisel Stadium in Innsbruck 2004 (4:1).
Austria's national selection had given a strong sign of life in women's tennis with Sinja Kraus, Barbara Haas, Tamira Paszek and Melanie Klaffner by beating Latvia. The coup was even successful without the red-white-red number one Julia Grabher and despite Paszek's bitter opening defeat against the top star Jelena Ostapenko after two missed match balls. With the USA, however, a completely different caliber is now waiting for the domestic international heroes on Saturday. While Austria with Grabher (WTA rank 84) has had a WTA top 100 player since September 12, 2022 after a long time, the team of US captain Kathy Rinaldi can currently count 13 players in this elite circle . Four of them are among the top 14 in the world: Jessica Pegula (WTA 3), the only 18-year-old French Open finalist Coco Gauff (WTA 7), ex-US Open finalist Madison Keys (WTA 11) and Australian Open finalist Danielle Rose Collins (WTA 14).