The News Bulletin of the International Tennis Federation www.itftennis.com Dementieva heads Fed Cup line-up Olympic champion Elena Dementieva heads the list of players in Fed Cup by BNP Paribas action this weekend. The 28-year-old is joined by a trio of former world number ones, Jelena Jankovic, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, as the World Group semifinals, and World Group and World Group II Play-offs take place on 24-25 April. Dementieva heads a Russian team bidding to reach its fifth Fed Cup Final in seven years when it takes on USA in Birmingham, Alabama on an indoor hard court. The other semifinal sees titleholder Italy at home to Czech Republic in the first-ever tie to be held at the historic Foro Italico in Rome on clay. Elena Dementieva (RUS) Dementieva, who is contesting her 18th Fed Cup tie, is joined by former world junior (Photo: Golvanov/Kivrin) champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ekaterina Makarova and Alla Kudryavtseva in the Russian line-up. Meanwhile USA has recalled three of the players who defeated France in the first round, with 19 April 2010 Issue 16 Melanie Oudin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and doubles world No. 1 Liezel Huber to be joined by a fourth player not yet named by US captain Mary Joe Fernandez. The winner of the USA-Russia semifinal will host the final on 6-7 November. Italy is unchanged for a fifth successive tie for its Rome tie against Czech Republic, with Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci looking to record a sixth consecutive win in the competition. Czech Republic also retains the team that defeated Germany in the opening round, with Lucie Safarova joined by Petra Kvitova, Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke. The World Group Play-offs see Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin return to Fed Cup for the first time since 2006 when they team up with Yanina Wickmayer for Belgium’s home tie against Estonia in Hasselt, with a stadium capacity of 6,700 spectators. Jelena Jankovic will be looking to help Serbia retain its World Group status against Slovak Republic in Belgrade; while Ukraine hosts Australia in Kharkiv; and Germany is at home to France in Frankfurt. The losers of these ties will play in 2011 Fed Cup World Group II. The four World Group II Play-offs will decide qualification for World Group II next year, with the losing nations contesting their respective Zone Group I events in 2011. Poland takes on Spain in Sopot; Sweden hosts China, P.R. in Helsingborg; Canada faces Argentina in Montreal; and Slovenia is at home to Japan in Maribor. Two Z0ne Group events are also taking place this week: Americas Zone Group II in Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Europe/Africa Zone Group III in Cairo, Egypt. Full team nominations for all ties can be found at www.fedcup.com, where you can also see the latest results, news, audio interviews and photos, plus live scoring from the World Group semifinals and four World Group Play-offs. Travel disruption Due to the unprecedented travel disruption in Europe, the ITF is monitoring the situation for the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas ties planned for this weekend, 24-25 April. At the moment, the ITF is working under the assumption that all ties will go ahead as scheduled but there may be a need to postpone the start of some ties if travel disruptions delay teams from reaching their destinations. The ITF is in regular contact with its National Associations to ensure that every effort is made to have the ties go ahead as scheduled. Inside ITF junior team competitions News In Brief Tennis Australia announcement Rankings/Results This Week Next Week The News Bulletin of the International Tennis Federation www.itftennis.com Panama and Bahamas win ITF junior pre-qualifiers Panama’s boys’ team and Bahamas’s girls’ team won the North/Central American & Caribbean pre-qualifying event for the Junior Davis and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas in El Salvador on 12-18 April. The teams advance to the North/Central America & Caribbean final qualifying event that will be held in Boca Raton, Florida, USA on 30 April - 2 May. There they will both compete against teams from Canada, Mexico and USA for one boys’ and one girls’ place at the Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Finals to be held on 28 September – 3 October in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Winning Bahamas Junior Fed Cup team (Photo: Cecilia Ancalmo) Seventeen boys’ teams and 16 girls’ teams represented the 17 participating nations in El Salvador. In the boys’ pre-qualifying, Panama, seeded second, clinched first place in the Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, beating top seeds Guatemala in a closely fought final that was decided in the third set of the decisive doubles match. In the girls’ competition, second seeds Bahamas overcame top seeds and hosts, El Salvador, to win a place in the final qualifying. Like the boys’ final, the doubles determined which team would travel to Boca Raton, with Bahamas securing 19 April 2010 Issue 16 victory in straight sets. ITF junior team competition action continues this week with the Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas final qualifying event in Kuching, Malaysia. For further information, visit www.itftennis.com/juniors. Healy elected President of Tennis Australia New South Wales lawyer Steve Healy has been elected as the next President of Tennis Australia. Healy, a Tennis Australia board member and the current President of Tennis New South Wales, defeated Paul McNamee in the election held among the sport’s Member Association representatives in Melbourne on Monday. Current Tennis Australia President Geoff Pollard said: “Steve was a pretty good player, went on to become President of the northern suburbs tennis association and then President of Tennis NSW, and now will become President of TA, so he understands tennis from grassroots right through to the elite level. Steve Healy with Geoff Pollard “He was a member of our player development board back when John Newcombe (Photo: Tennis Australia) was chairman, so he’s had a lot of long-time experience with Tennis Australia, not just the last few years when he’s been on the board. On top of that he’s a lawyer, a partner with Gadens, so he brings wonderful credentials to become President.” Healy will now fulfil the role of President elect until October when Pollard retires at Tennis Australia’s Annual General Meeting. He said: “I see the transition as an important opportunity to assume the presidency having had the benefit of working with him and gaining some of his experience and connections over the next six months. “I am excited about the appointment and look forward to leading tennis in Australia. There are many challenges and issues that need to be addressed if we are to appeal more to the community and if we are to produce champions. The answer lies in working together, being flexible, inclusive and willing to think laterally.” For further information, visit www.tennis.com.au. Page 2 The News Bulletin of the International Tennis Federation www.itftennis.com NEWS IN BRIEF Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group IV National Association update The 2010 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Asia/Oceania Surinam - SUR Zone Group IV event in Amman, Jordan is taking Surianaamse Tennisbond place on 19-24 April. Nine nations are competing in New President: two pools, with two nations winning promotion to Mr Ramon Tjon A Fat Asia/Oceania Zone Group III in 2011. For further New email: information, visit www.daviscup.com. [email protected] New website: www.de-stb.org 19 April 2010 Issue 16 19-28 Apr: Short course on Biomechanics - La Paz, Bolivia 6-8 May: ITF Play Tennis Course - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 6-15 May: Southern African 12 & Under Circuit, Zimbabwe 12-14 May: West Pacific Qualifying, 13 and 18 & U, Fiji Page 3 The News Bulletin of the International Tennis Federation www.itftennis.com South African Airways ATP Rankings Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Rankings Position Player Name (Nationality) Points Position Player Name (Nationality) Points 1st FEDERER, Roger (SUI) 10690 1st WILLIAMS, Serena (USA) 7946 2nd DJOKOVIC, Novak (SRB) 7390 2nd WOZNIACKI, Caroline (DEN) 6255 3rd NADAL, Rafael (ESP) 6980 3rd SAFINA, Dinara (RUS) 6150 4th DEL POTRO, Juan Martin (ARG) 5725 4th WILLIAMS, Venus (USA) 5817 5th MURRAY, Andy (GBR) 5485 5th KUZNETSOVA, Svetlana (RUS) 5620 6th DAVYDENKO, Nikolay (RUS) 5335 6th DEMENTIEVA, Elena (RUS) 4965 7th RODDICK, Andy (USA) 4780 7th JANKOVIC, Jelena (SRB) 4740 8th SODERLING, Robin (SWE) 4595 8th RADWANSKA, Agnieszka (POL) 4190 9th VERDASCO, Fernando (ESP) 3145 9th AZARENKA, Victoria (BLR) 4080 10th TSONGA, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 3005 10th STOSUR, Samantha (AUS) 3975 ITF Junior Rankings ITF Wheelchair Rankings 19 April 2010 JUNIOR BOYS RANKING Position Player Name (Nationality) Points 19 April 2010 Issue 16 MEN’S SINGLES RANKING 1st MINA, Gianni (FRA) 912.50 2nd FERNANDES, Tiago (BRA) 897.50 Position Player Name (Nationality) Points 3rd BERTA, Daniel (SWE) 837.50 1st KUNIEDA, Shingo (JPN) 5758 4th KUBLER, Jason (AUS) 830.00 2nd HOUDET, Stephane (FRA) 4348 5th FUCSOVICS, Marton (HUN) 758.75 3rd SCHEFFERS, Maikel (NED) 3608 6th KUDLA, Denis (USA) 737.50 4th AMMERLAAN, Robin (NED) 3335 7th ZSIGA, Mate (HUN) 695.00 5th OLSSON, Stefan (SWE) 3216 8th OLIVO, Renzo (ARG) 691.25 6th VINK, Ronald (NED) 2547 9th KRAWIETZ, Kevin (GER) 682.50 7th LEGNER, Martin (AUT) 2273 10th TOMIC, Bernard (AUS) 670.00 8th PEIFER, Nicolas (FRA) 1954 9th SAIDA, Satoshi (JPN) 1895 JUNIOR GIRLS RANKING 10th CATTANEO, Frederic (FRA) 1306 Position Player Name (Nationality) Points WOMEN’S SINGLES RANKING 1stJUNIOR MLADENOVIC, GIRLS Kristina RANKING (FRA) 1470.00 2nd KHROMACHEVA,