Fed Cup: 16 teams compete for the final round in Budapest
Next weekend, 16 teams will be looking for a ticket to the Fed Cup final round in Budapest. Among others, Australian Open winners Sofia Kenin , Serena Williams , Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu will be in action.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Feb 04, 2020, 06:07 pm
After the Australian Open is before the Fed Cup. On February 7th and 8th, the world's best tennis players will compete for the Fed Cup final round. As in the Davis Cup, there will now be a final tournament for women - this will take place on April 14th to 19th on clay in Budapest.
A total of twelve teams will fight for the title in the Hungarian capital. Last year's winner France, last year's finalist Australia, wildcard starter Czech Republic and the home team from Hungary are already qualified. The next eight participants will be determined next weekend.
Germany without Kerber and Görges
Among other things, Germany is fighting for a final round ticket. Rainer Schüttler's team will have to do without Angelique Kerber and Julia Görges away to Brazil, but will still play as favorites against the South Americans - top German player Laura Siegemund will be.
The USA, on the other hand, can draw on plenty. With Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin , Serena Williams and Coco Gauff, nothing should go wrong against the Latvians led by Jelena Ostapenko - especially since the Americans can rely on the support of the home crowd.
Andreescu celebrates comeback
There are real cracks in the Netherlands and Switzerland: Belarus (Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka) demand Kiki Bertens & Co. at home, Belinda Bencic and her teammates have to take on Canada. Bianca Andreescu will celebrate her comeback after an injury break .
The four other games are: Romania vs. Russia, Spain vs. Japan, Belgium vs. Kazakhstan and Slovakia vs. Great Britain. With Japanese Naomi Osaka, an absolute superstar will also be on the pitch in these encounters, while Romanian Simona Halep and Spanish Australian Open finalist Garbine Muguruza will not appear for their country.
The games at a glance:
USA vs. Latvia
Netherlands vs. Belarus
Romania vs. Russia
Brazil vs. Germany
Spain vs. Japan
Switzerland vs. Canada
Belgium vs. Kazakhstan
Slovakia vs. Great Britain