The team of the Russian Federation, as all their selections are called due to the sanction against the country for doping cases in which the State allegedly collaborated, showed this Tuesday in Prague why he is the great favorite to win the title in the new Billie Jean King Cup Finals. His 3-0 victory against Canada in group A it is the first with this marker so far in the competition and puts it with a foot and a half in the semifinals, because it would have to lose on Wednesday 3-0 against France, something that seems unlikely, to stay out of the classification.
With five players who are within the top-40 of the world rankings, captain Igor Andreev, has a choice in each tie to face the matches with guarantees of success. In this case, those chosen for the singles were Daria Kasatkina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The first, who is trained in Barcelona by Carlos Martínez Comet, won by 6-3 and 6-1 to Carol Zhao, who replaced Francoise Abanda at the last minute, is discharged for medical reasons; and the second had some more trouble to beat Rebecca Marino 6-4, 4-6 and 6-2. The doubles of Veronika Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova put the icing on the cake with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Gabriela Dabrowski and Marino. Canada is now awaiting a possible triple draw and Russia is dependent on itself to continue in the tournament. France needs a resounding victory to have any options.
Australia is off to a good start
Australia, a team depleted by the absence of world number one Ashleigh Barty, competed with great merit against Belgium in Group B, prevailing in the two individual matches. The captain, Alicia Molik, did not have her top-ranked tennis player, Ajla Tomljanovic (42nd). Fue Daria Garvrilova who could with Greet Minnen (6-4, 1-6 and 6-4) and later Storm Sanders beat Elise Mertens against the odds, which was diluted to the point of fitting a donut (3-6, 7-6 (5) and 6-0). Then he recovered and showed why he is the leader in the ranking of doubles to rescue the last point of the series with Minnen as a pair against Ellen Perez and Sanders (6-2 and 6-4). A victory that may have its importance in the possible draws on the last day of the group stage. This Wednesday they face Australia, which depends on itself like Russia, and Belarus, which fell to Belgium on Monday.
Results, standings and schedules of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.