Rodionova to make her Fed Cup debut

Anastasia Rodionova will make her Australian debut for the Fed Cup team in April against Ukraine.

Melbourne based Rodionova will join Australia’s No.1 Samantha Stosur, the inform Alicia Molik and Rennae Stubbs, No.8 in doubles, at the Fed Cup 2010 World Group play-off tie.

A win in April will allow the Australian team to return to the World Group for the first time since 2004.

Australian Fed Cup captain David Taylor said he wants the strongest team possible for this World Group play-off.

“This is perhaps one of the most significant Fed Cup ties in recent memory,” Taylor said.

“It is an opportunity for the Australian team to re-establish itself among the elite countries in the women’s tennis.

“Our No.1 singles player, Sam (Stosur), will once again take on the role of team leader while Rennae (Stubbs), who is the longest serving member in Australian Fed Cup history, makes a strong doubles combination with Sam if it gets down to the fifth rubber.

“Anastasia is in the top 100 and will been keen to represent her country at Fed Cup for the first time since she was granted Australian citizenship in December 2009. She is a real fighter on court and will make the most of every opportunity.

“Alicia is also on the verge of breaking into the top100 players which is an unbelievable feat within six months.

“She brings not only the experience of seventeen Fed Cup ties but amazing form defeating world No.19 Jie Zheng in Dubai and world No.32 Anabel Medina-Garrigues in Indian Wells over the last two months.”

On the Ukrainian team Taylor indicated they would be tough.

“The Ukrainian team has a lot of depth with three singles players in the top 100 and a strong doubles pairing,” he said.

“We will need to be at our best but I think we are up for the challenge and we are looking forward to the contest.”

The World Group play-off tie will be played on clay at the Palace of Sports “Lokomotiv” in Kharkiv on April 24 and 25.

Ukraine and Australia have met once before in the Fed Cup when the Ukrainians recorded a 4-1 victory in the World Group II Play-offs on the Gold Coast in 2007.

Ukraine made its first World Group appearance in 2010 when it was defeated 4-1 by Italy, the defending champions, in Kharkiv. Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko played the singles rubbers but were unable to overcome Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone.

In the World Group II first round, Australia claimed a narrow 3-2 victory over Spain in Adelaide, with Stosur winning all three of the rubbers she played in.

Other nations that are due to meet in the World Group play-off tie are Belgium vs Estonia, Germany vs France and Serbia vs Slovak Republic.

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