United States To Meet Belarus In Fed Cup This Weekend

Lawn Tennis, Ace Tennis Magazine, Lawn Tennis Magazine

United States To Meet Belarus In Fed Cup This Weekend
By Ken Miller, Lawn Tennis Analyst, Posted: Friday, February 3, 2012 9:25pm PST USA

United States To Meet Belarus In Fed Cup This Weekend, Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams

WORCHESTER-- In World Group II first round Fed Cup play Saturday and Sunday, the United States will look to hold off a Belarus team led by the new WTA Tour world number one and Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka.

Saturday in the first of two singles match to be played at the DCU Center at Worcester, Massachusetts, the 38th ranked Christina McHale of the USA takes on Azarenka.

Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka | Images: Getty

The third match of the match-up on Sunday between Serena Williams and Azarenka could prove to be pivotal as the winning country could go up 2-1.

In match two, the former world number one Serena Williams of the USA, currently ranked 12th, meets Olga Govortsova of Belarus.

Sunday in reverse singles play, Williams meets Azarenka to open the day’s action.

In match two for the day, McHale takes on Govortsova.

Wrapping up play Sunday, is the top ranked doubles player Lisa Huber of the USA who is to team up with Venus Williams to take on Azarenka and Govortsova.

Venus Williams has not played a WTA Tour match since withdrawing from the US Open in August due to illness. Serena Williams, hampered by an ankle injury, suffered a shocking fourth round upset last month at the Australian Open.

The third match of the match-up on Sunday between Serena Williams and Azarenka could prove to be pivotal as the winning country could go up 2-1. Head to head, Williams leads Azarenka 6-1. Azarenka’s lone win came in the 2009 Miami final 6-3, 6-1 with Williams suffering from a major leg injury.

However in the duo’s last meeting at last year’s US Open third round, Azarenka put up a strong fight before going down 6-1, 7-6(7-5).

In the team competition, the first country to win three matches will advance to the next round.

In the United States, the Tennis Channel is scheduled to broadcast both days’ singles matches live; Saturday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm EST and Sunday from 12:00pm to 6:00 pm EST.