2017 FED CUP BY BNP PARIBAS WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND 11-12 February – TIE NOTES WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND Czech Republic (s) (c) v Spain Ostravar Arena, Ostrava, CZE (hard – indoors) USA (c) v Germany (s) Royal Lahaina Resort, Maui, Hawaii, USA (hard – outdoors) Belarus (c)* v Netherlands (s) Chizhovka-Arena, Minsk, BLR (hard – indoors) Switzerland (c) v France (s) Palexpo, Geneva, SUI (hard – indoors) WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND Russia (s) (c)* v Chinese Taipei Druzhba Sport Complex, Moscow, RUS (hard – indoors) Romania (s) (c)* v Belgium Sala Polivalenta, Bucharest, ROU (hard – indoors) Ukraine (c) v Australia (s) Palace of Sports ‘Lokomotiv’, Kharkiv, UKR (hard – indoors) Italy (s) (c)* v Slovakia PalaGalassi, Forli, ITA (clay – indoors) (s) = seed (c) = choice of ground * = choice of ground was decided by lot CHOICE OF GROUND – WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS The winners of this weekend’s World Group first round ties advance to the semifinals on 22-17 April. Below is the choice of ground for all potential semifinal match-ups. The venue details are due to be submitted to the ITF by 27 February. USA GERMANY CZECH REPUBLIC USA GER SPAIN USA** GER SWITZERLAND FRANCE BELARUS BLR FRA* NETHERLANDS SUI* NED * choice of ground decided by lot ** extenuating cirmcumstances (the meetings between Spain and USA in 2000-04, when the competition was played as a ‘Final Four’, are disregarded for the purposes of choice of ground) 2017 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group/World Group II First Round Tie Notes 1 PAST CHAMPIONS In total, 11 nations have won the Fed Cup. • USA 17 • Czech Republic (5 as Czechoslovakia) 10 • Australia 7 • Spain 5 • Italy, Russia 4 • France, Germany 2 • Belgium, Slovakia, South Africa 1 COMEBACKS FROM 0-2 DOWN... There have been just 7 comebacks from 0-2 down in the World Group since the best of five format was adopted in Fed Cup in 1995. France recorded the most recent 0-2 comeback by defeating Italy 3-2 in the 2015 World Group first round. TOP TIEBREAKS… Since the introduction of the tiebreak in Fed Cup, there have never been more than 5 tiebreaks in a ‘best of five rubber’ tie. This has happened twice before: Italy d. Australia 4-1, 2011 World Group first round/Czech Republic d. Australia 4-0, 2013 World Group first round. PARTICIPATING NATIONS… 107 nations entered the 2017 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas. FED CUP NATIONS RANKING… The ITF Fed Cup Nations Ranking was launched at the end of 2002. It is published following every tie weekend and measures success over the preceding 4-year period, with recent performances weighted more heavily. It is the sole criteria for seeding at all levels of Fed Cup competition. Latest Fed Cup Nations Ranking (14 November 2016) 1 Czech Republic 11 Australia 2 France 12 Romania 3 Germany 13 Ukraine 4 Russia 14 Belgium 5 Netherlands 15 Slovakia 6 Italy 16 Chinese Taipei 7 Switzerland 17 Canada 8 Belarus 18 Poland 9 Spain 19 Argentina 10 USA 20 Paraguay 2017 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group/World Group II First Round Tie Notes 2 FED CUP RECORDS^ World Group (Since 1995) Fed Cup Most Games in a Tie 162: See World Group (Best of Five format) France d. Japan 4-1, 1997 World Group I first round Most Games in a 54: See World Group Singles Rubber Nathalie Tauziat (FRA) d. Naoko Sawamatsu (JPN) 75 46 1715, 1997 World Group I first round 43: 51: Most Games in a Conchita Martinez/Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (ESP) Margaret Court/Kerry Melville (AUS) d. Winnie Doubles Rubber d Mary Joe Fernandez/Lisa Raymond (USA) 64 Shaw/Virginia Wade (GBR) 97 36 14-12,1968 67(5) 11-9, 1998 World Group I semifinal semifinal Most Games in a Set 32: (singles) Nathalie Tauziat (FRA) d. Naoko Sawamatsu See World Group (JPN) 75 46 17-15, 1997 World Group I first round 20: Conchita Martinez/Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (ESP) d. Mary Joe Fernandez/Lisa Raymond (USA) 64 32: 67 11-9, 1998 World Group I semifinal Most Games in a Set Lucia Bassi/Daniela Porzio (ITA) d. Michele (doubles) Gurdal/Monique Van Haver (BEL) 17-15 61, Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (ITA) d. Liezel Italy d. Belgium 3-0 in 1974 first round Huber/Vania King (USA) 46 63 11-9, 2009 World Group Final Longest recorded 10 hours, 26 minutes: 12 hours, 27 minutes: Spain d. Belgium 3-2, 2004 WG quarterfinal playing-time (tie) France d. Slovakia 3-2, 2009 WG play-off Italy d. Australia 4-1, 2011 WG first round 4 hours, 0 minutes: Longest singles rubber Richel Hogenkamp (NED) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova See World Group (RUS) 76(4) 57 10-8, 2016 World Group first round 2 hours, 28 minutes: Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina (RUS) d. Dominika Cibulkova/Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 3 hours, 35 minutes: Longest doubles rubber 46 63 61, 2013 World Group semifinal Tzipi Obziler/Hila Rosen (ISR) d. Anne Kremer/Cludine Schaul (LUX) 36 76 108, 2001 Bojana Jovanovski/Aleksandra Krunic (SRB) d. Europe/Africa Group I Yanina Wickmayer/Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 76(2) 46 61, 2012 World Group first round 12-10: 21-19: Manisha Malhotra/Sania Mirza (IND) d. Vlada Longest tiebreak Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. Kim Clijsters Ekshibarova/Ivanna Israilova (UZB), 76(19) 61, (BEL), 67(10) 62 61, 2011 World Group first round 2004 Asia/Oceania Group I ^for further details see the Statistics page on the official Fed Cup website: http://www.fedcup.com/en/statistics/general-records.aspx 2017 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group/World Group II First Round Tie Notes 3 CZECH REPUBLIC v SPAIN Ostravar Arena, Ostrava, CZE (hard – indoors) Head-to-head: Tied 2-2 A 5th meeting for the 2 teams. Czech Republic has won the 2 most recent meetings, including a 3-2 victory in a World Group first round encounter in 2014 when Andrea Hlavackova and Barbora Strycova combined to win the decisive doubles rubber. CZECH REPUBLIC v SPAIN 1 Current FC Nations Ranking 9 Champion 10 times* Best Result Champion 5 times 1963 First year played 1972 47 Years played (incl 2017) 46 138 Ties played 128 102-36 Ties Win-Loss 78-50 0 Comebacks from 0-2 down 1 (* 5 times as Czechoslovakia) Defending champion CZECH REPUBLIC is bidding to win its 10th consecutive Fed Cup tie. The team has not lost a Fed Cup tie since falling 3-1 to Italy in the 2013 semifinals Czech Republic is bidding to reach the Fed Cup semifinals for the 9th consecutive year. The nation has reached the last 4 every year since earning promotion back into the 2009 World Group. Last year, Czech Republic was crowned Fed Cup champion for the 10th time – and the 5th time in the last 6 years – after defeating France 3-2 in the Final in Strasbourg. Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova combined for the 2nd straight year to win the decisive doubles rubber, defeating France’s Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. Earlier in 2016, Czech Republic also defeated Romania 3-2 in Cluj-Napoca in the first round and Switzerland 3-2 in the semifinals, winning the title after playing all 3 ties away from home for the 2nd time in its history – the Czechs also managed the feat in 2011. Italy (2006) is the only other nation to win the title after playing all its ties away from home since the home-and-away format was adopted in 1995. Czech Republic is playing its first home tie since defeating Russia in Prague in the 2015 Final. The Czechs have not lost a home tie since falling 3-2 to USA in the 2009 semifinals. Czech Republic has won its last 4 ties in the decisive doubles rubber. Pliskova and Strycova have combined to defeat Russia in the 2015 Final, Romania in the 2016 first round and France in the 2016 Final, while Pliskova teamed with Lucie Hradecka to defeat Switzerland in the 2016 semifinals. If she wins 2 rubbers this weekend, Strycova will record her 20th Fed Cup rubber victory. She currently has an 18-9 win-loss record in the competition. Katerina Siniakova could make her Fed Cup debut this weekend after being named in the Czech team for the first time. Czech Republic has held the No. 1 spot on the ITF Fed Cup Nations Ranking since April 2014, having first attained the top position in April 2012. The Fed Cup Nations Ranking was launched at the end of 2002 and is updated after each round. Helena Sukova is Czech Republic’s most successful Fed Cup player with the most total wins (57), most singles wins (45) and most ties (54) and years (13) played. If Czech Republic wins this weekend, it will travel to face either USA or Germany in April’s semifinals. SPAIN is bidding to reach the Fed Cup semifinals for the first time since 2008 when the team reached the final, losing 4-0 to Russia. 2017 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group/World Group II First Round Tie Notes 4 Last year, Spain won promotion back to the World Group after a 2-year spell in World Group II. The team defeated Serbia 4-0 in Kraljevo in the World Group II first round and Italy 4-0 in Lleida in the World Group play-offs. Spain has played 4 of its last 5 ties away from home (including this weekend’s tie). Its only home tie in that time came against Italy last year.