Australia to host Ukraine in Glen Iris
Glen Iris Valley Recreation Club will host the World Group Play-off tie between Australia and Ukraine in April.
Melbourne, 8 March 2011 | tennis.com.au
Glen Iris Valley Recreation Club will host the World Group Play-off tie between Australia and Ukraine in April.
Announced today, the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas will be held from 16 to 17 April 2011. This tie will be the first Cup to be played at the Glen Iris tennis club.
Glen Iris Valley Recreation Club won the rights to host the tie due to its facilities, the court surface and for its convenience and location for the players who are flying back to Australia for the tie.
Tennis Australia’s Manager Major Events Kay Godkhindi said that Glen Iris Valley Recreation Club will make the ideal location for the upcoming Fed Cup tie between Australia and Ukraine.
“The last time a Fed Cup tie was hosted in Melbourne was in1988 at Melbourne Park so for the Glen Iris Valley Recreation Club to host an event of this calibre is a huge achievement,” said Godkhindi.
“The Glen Iris Valley Recreation Club is in the perfect location for this April Fed Cup tie as all the players will be playing in various overseas destinations prior to the event and the inner city location means the venue is very accessible for the team.
“Also with multiple en-tout-cas courts, which can be changed to clay for the tie, it will allow the Australian team to play on clay prior to the French Open, which is in May.”
Fed Cup Captain David Taylor said he and the team are looking forward to their World Group Play-off tie next month.
“After having our chances against the current champions, Italy, in February I know the girls are keen to get back on court and ensure Australia returns to the World Group in 2012,” said Taylor.
“Australia and Ukraine have had some great ties in the past and the competitive spirit between the two teams will be high with the countries tied 1-1 in their head-to-head matches.
“The Ukraine team are never an easy opponent to play and particularly if either of the Bondarenko sisters play.
“They are both former top 30 players and Kateryna won all three of her matches in Helsingborg to give Ukraine a 3-2 win over Sweden in February.
“The girls have worked really hard as a team to get into the elite eight and we are looking forward to playing in Melbourne and proving that we belong there.”
Australia currently has four players in the top 100, Samantha Stosur (No.4), Jarmila Groth (No.30), Jelena Dokic (No.61) and Anastasia Rodionova (No.72).
Dokic is coming off her first WTA title win in nine years at the Malaysian Open where Groth also made the semifinals.
Alicia Molik and Sophie Ferguson are also ranked just outside the top 100 with Casey Dellacqua on the comeback trail following a foot injury.
Ukraine and Australia are tied 1-1 in the head to heads after Australia won 5-0 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, last year to progress to the World Group.
Australia lost 4-1to Ukraine at the Gold Coast in 2007 in the World Group II Play-off tie, relegating Australia to the Asia–Oceania Zone Group I.
In February the Australian team lost to current world champions Italy 1-4 in Hobart. This was the first time the Australian team has been in the World Group since 2004.
Other nations competing in the World Group Play-off tie are Germany v USA, Spain v France and Serbia v Slovak Republic.
In the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas semifinals, Italy will meet Russia in Russia and Belgium will host the Czech Republic.