Billie Jean King Cup: Austria starts with a lot of optimism against Mexico
ÖTV team captain Marion Maruska sees a slightly increased chance with the loss of the Mexican number one, but still expects a very close play-off encounter.
by PM
last edit: Nov 09, 2023, 09:21 am
There are still two days before Austria's tennis ladies play-off against Mexico in the Billie Jean King Cup on 11/12. November in the Multiversum Schwechat will fight again for a place in the qualifying round for next year's final tournament. Since Monday evening, the guests have been training on the clay courts in the municipality of Schwechat in Lower Austria, just outside Vienna. On Tuesday morning, the home team, Sinja Kraus (WTA 192), Tamira Paszek (WTA 388), Tamara Kostic (WTA 787), Melanie Klaffner (WTA 1261), also started training on site. “Everyone trained well yesterday and today,” said ÖTV Billie Jean King Cup captain and sports coordinator Marion Maruska at the obligatory pre-draw press conference on Wednesday.
The red-white-red ladies go into their second home match since the one against Switzerland in 2008 - last year they surprisingly defeated Latvia 3-2 in the play-off at the same venue - with newly boosted self-confidence. “Sinja and Tamara played very well last week. “Although Tamira lost in the second round of an ITF W25 tournament against the eventual finalist, she played well in a 60,000 the week before, and the trend has been very good for her in the last few weeks,” said Maruska. But especially with Kraus: “Coming here as number one in the team with their biggest tournament win to date is of course very promising – something like that always gives you self-confidence.”
Maruska keeps a low profile: “You never know what will happen”
Just like the first time against Latvia exactly a year ago, Kraus is number one in Austria's selection against Mexico due to Julia Grabher's withdrawal due to injury. “As number one, you are always the team leader somewhere. This is a different role for her than before. But she definitely has her routine in the competition now. And Sinja also has good memories of the Billie Jean King Cup here last year, so that helps too. As she said herself: for her it is as if she had never been away,” smiled Maruska.
When it came to the line-up, the captain kept a low profile, also in doubles, although Klaffner/Kraus is the most obvious variant here: “They got the decisive point last year, played together a lot, so they're well-rehearsed and have been playing well in the last few weeks ITF level reached a final and a semi-final, but they are therefore not seeded." Because if Maruska's extensive international competition experience has taught one thing, it is that: "You never know what will happen."
Mexico “equal but beatable opponent”
The composition of the Mexican team that traveled had a surprise in store: the guests had to make do without their number one in the international match. Renata Zarazúa (WTA 165) sees her chance of perhaps moving towards a starting place in the main competition of the Australian Open 2024 with a strong performance at this week's ITF W100 tournament in Charleston (USA) and a WTA Challenger series in South America push. “Due to her absence, our chances are now perhaps a little better and have increased a bit,” said Maruska. However, they still see “an equal but beatable” opponent in Mexico – who should not be underestimated.
Maruska still expected a very close international competition: “Everything is very close together,” explained the Lower Austrian. And she warned: “Your number two in the country and current number one in the team, Fernanda Contreras Gómez, was ranked around WTA 180 a year ago, so she is a strong player. Then they have a very good doubles player in Giuliana Olmos, who was already number six in the doubles ranking, played the WTA Finals and is currently ranked 25th. And her boys, Julia Garcia Ruiz and Alejandra Cruz Granados, were top 20 and top 70 in the ITF youth rankings. They certainly shouldn't be underestimated because they were very good youth players. And with college tennis players like that, you never really know what to expect.”