China are planning to ride the wave of Olympic sporting fever and become the first Asian nation to reach the final of the Fed Cup this weekend, but five-times champions Spain stand in their way. A passionate home crowd will urge on the home side at the Beijing International Tennis Center during the tie, which starts tomorrow and ends on Sunday.
China are making their first semi-final appearance after sealing a dramatic 3-2 first-round victory in February over two-time champions France, who fought back from 2-0 down to level the tie but were unable to close out the match.
The home side, who reached the World Group for the first time last year, where they were hammered 5-0 by Italy in the first round, are the first Asian nation to reach the last four since Japan in 1996.
PHOTO : AP
But China’s hopes have been hit by an injury to Asia’s top-ranked player Li Na, who boasts a 24-4 Fed Cup singles record.
Chinese state media reported earlier this month that Li, ranked 35, would be sidelined for several weeks due to a right knee injury.
“The injury won’t hamper her participation in the Beijing Games in August, but I think we should take it seriously,” the China Daily quoted China Tennis Association vice-director Gao Shenyang as saying. In her absence the team will be led by Peng Shuai, ranked 68, who has a 7-1 singles record, along with Zheng Jie, Yan Zi and Sun Tiantian. But standing in their way are Spain, who beat last year’s runners-up Italy 3-2 in Naples in the first round.
Spain’s talent on show this weekend includes 76th-ranked Nuria Llagostera Vives, Carla Suarez-Navarro, Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez and Arantxa Parra-Santonja. Their incentive is to put Spain in the final for the first time since 2002.
With excitement mounting ahead of the Olympics in August, tennis is looking to make the most of the showcase tie.
“Tennis was a minority sport in China before the 2004 Athens Olympics, but all that has changed now,” an official from the China Tennis Association said.
The doubles gold won there by Li Ting and Sun Tiantian not only shocked the tennis world but also the Chinese public, and the pair became overnight superstars.
Whoever wins the Beijing clash, played on indoor hard courts, will meet the victors from the Moscow match-up this weekend between Russia and the US, who have won 20 titles between them.
The Chinese team have made the most of home-court advantage so far, but they would have to give that up if they played Russia.
If their final opponents are the US, it would be played in China.
The Americans will be missing Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport when they face the defending champion Russians on indoor clay at the Luzhniki arena.
Instead, teenager Madison Brengle, former South African player Liezel Huber, Vania King and Ahsha Rolle will be representing the US.
King, Rolle and Brengle are outside the top 100 in the WTA rankings, and Rolle and Brengle are making their Fed Cup debuts.
Huber, however, is a top-ranked doubles player who has competed for South Africa but is playing for the US for the first time.
Russia, looking to win their fourth title in five years, will have 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anna Chakvetadze, Vera Zvonareva and Elena Vesnina.
Russia will be missing Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova, who is skipping the series as part of what Russia captain Shamil Tarpishchev has said was an agreement with Kuznetsova.
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