Billie Jean King Cup: With Tatjana Maria and Jule Niemeier in the play-offs
Rainer Schüttler has nominated Porsche Team Germany for the Billie Jean King Cup Play-Offs (November 11th and 12th in Rijeka, Croatia). Tatjana Maria, Jule Niemeier, Eva Lys, Anna-Lena Friedsam and Laura Siegemund will appear in DTB dress.
by p.m
last edit: Oct 14, 2022, 12:23 pm
After the end of Andrea Petkovic's career and Angelique Kerber's baby break, there is a change in the German Bille Jean King Cup team. In the play-offs against Croatia, Tatjana Maria (35), Jule Niemeier (23), Anna-Lena Friedsam (28), Eva Lys (20) and Laura Siegemund (34) are expected to help Porsche Team Germany stay up in the league.
“With Tatjana, Jule, Laura and Anna-Lena, the four best German players at the moment have been nominated. So we're going to Croatia with a top line-up. Eva Lys completes the team and absolutely deserves to be the fifth player. She had a very good season and achieved great results," explains team captain Schüttler.
Tatjana Maria has already won the WTA 250 tournament in Bogota this season and was in the Wimbledon semifinals after beating Jule Niemeier in the all-German quarterfinals on Church Road in the previous round. Niemeier has 37 wins so far this season and will be in the top 70 from next week. The 23-year-old is currently playing at the WTA 250 tournament in Cluj-Napoca and is in the quarter-finals.
In addition, Schüttler has nominated two experienced players, Anna-Lena Friedsam and Laura Siegemund, who can play in both singles and doubles. Siegemund has already won two doubles titles on the WTA tour this year (WTA 1000, Miami & WTA 250, Lyon), Anna-Lena Friedsam was successful in doubles at the WTA 250 tournament in Warsaw.
Eva Lys has been nominated for Porsche Team Germany for the first time. The 20-year-old is currently better positioned in the world rankings than ever before, standing in 156th place. Next week she will be at home at the Ladies & Gents Cup in the Hamburger Verbandshalle.
Positive record against Croatia
After the German women's tennis team lost 3-1 to Kazakhstan in April, they have to fight to stay up in the relegation game against Croatia.
A DTB selection has met teams from the Adriatic coast four times so far, and the German team has won four times. This is also the goal in November, when the hard courts will be played at the Zamet Sports Center (Rijeka, Croatia).
“The Croatians are strong. With Donna Vekic, who was already 19th in the world rankings, and Petra Martic, who even reached 14th place, they have two top players in their team. We have to play with our best team. The match is extremely important for us. Of course it is our aim to stay in the world group. Although we are under some pressure because of this, we have to prove that we belong,” says Schüttler.
16 nations compete in the play-offs to secure a spot in the world group. If they win, Porsche Team Germany would be able to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup again in 2023. A defeat would mean relegation to Regional Group 1.