Events / Barry Millns / 05 February 2009 /

Barry Millns talks us through the big ties from this weekend's Federation Cup where Jelena Jankovic will be teaming up with Ana Ivanovic in Serbia's corner in a Group 2 encounter whilst Elena Dementieva will spearhead Russia's bid for Fed Cup glory in a Group 1 tie.

One week after the Australian Open some of the world's leading female players will be back in action this weekend in the Fed Cup. Although they don't include either Serena Williams or Dinara Safina, who met in the final in Melbourne, Top 10 stars Elena Dementieva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic are all representing their countries in World Group 1st Round ties.

Having won four of the last five Fed Cup titles Russia will begin their defence as firm favourites (currently trading at [1.07]) to beat China in the Olympic stadium in Moscow. Although Dementieva, who won Olympic gold last year in Beijing, and Kuznetsova lost in successive matches to Williams in this year's first grand slam, their form and experience in Fed Cup should prove too much for the Chinese, especially after the visitors lost their No.1 player and Wimbledon semi-finalist Zheng Jie to a wrist injury.

It is nine years since USA won the last of their 17 Fed Cup titles, a drought new captain Mary Joe Fernandez is eager to end. But without the Williams sisters in her team to face Argentina in Surprise, Arizona, the Americans, who have also lost their No.3 Bethanie Mattek to a hip injury, will be led by the 34 year-old world No. 75 Jill Craybas.

The joint world No.1 doubles player Liezel Huber is also representing USA, but with doubles only played in the fifth and final rubber the damage could already have been done before then by the Argentine team. Spearheaded by world No. 44 Gisela Dulko, who has won eight of her last 10 Fed Cup singles rubbers, the visitors are on a seven-tie winning streak and not surprisingly the odds are much closer with USA currently trading at [1.2] to win and Argentina at [1.7].

Also in World Group 1, twice-champions France host 2006 titlists Italy in Orleans, while last year's runner-up and five-time champions Spain are away to the Czech Republic.

Former pro Nicolas Escude, who once clinched the Davis Cup for France, will also be captaining his countrywomen for the first time. They include the 19 year-old Alize Cornet, now up to No.14 in the world following her run to the fourth round of the Australian Open, plus the former world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo and Nathalie Dechy.

Escude's opposing captain Corrado Barazzutti has again called upon the experienced quartet of Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci. It will be the fourth meeting in six years for the two nations and there is currently nothing to choose between them in the market with both trading at [1.5] (in a pretty illiquid market) to advance to the semi-finals.

The competition should also be very close in Brno with the Czechs starting as slight favourites at [1.5] to get the better of Spain [1.65]. Iveta Benesova, ranked world No.35, leads the hosts against a Spanish team now spearheaded by the 20 year-old Carla Suarez Navarro who upstaged Venus Williams at the Australian Open en route to her first major quarterfinal and a career-high ranking of No.30.

As for Ivanovic and Jankovic, they will be making their World Group II debuts for Serbia in the first Fed Cup tie ever to be played at home in Belgrade. The two former world No.1's, who both made relatively early exits from Melbourne, will take on Japan in the Belgrade Arena in front of an audience of almost 20,000 each day.

For Jankovic, who did beat Japan's No.1 Ai Sugiyama at the Australian Open, it will be a very special moment leading her country in front of a home crowd: "It means a lot to me to be playing for the first time in Serbia in front of my family, my friends, my people. It's a huge honour for me and we passed a long way to be here in this situation and I'm very excited and really look forward for the weekend and really hope for the best."

In the other World Group II ties Slovak Republic host Belgium in Bratislava, Switzerland take on Germany in Zurich and Ukraine face Israel in Kharkiv.

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