Russia has named their team for the Fed Cup final. Captain Anastasia Myskina has named a strong squad for the final bringing two outstanding singles players and a strong doubles team. The team that Myskina has named is Maria Sharapova, Ekaterina Makarova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Elena Vesnina. The final will take place November 14-15 at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic.
Russia’s Road To The Final
The Russians opened up their Fed Cup campaign looking motivated to get past the first round this year after being upset by Australia last year in the first round of the World Groups. This year, they hammered Poland 4-0 in the opening round, led by two wins from Maria Sharapova and a big upset win from Kuznetsova over Agnieszka Radwanska.
In the semifinals, the Russians hosted Germany on clay. After taking a 2-0 lead through Kuznetsova and Pavlyuchenkova, the Germans leveled the tie at two apiece after Andrea Petkovic and Angelique Kerber dominated their respective ties. However, Pavlyuchenkova and Vesnina dominated Sabine Lisicki and Petkovic in the decisive rubber to send them to the finals.
Sharapova’s Bid For The Olympics
This is the second time that Sharapova has been named to the Fed Cup team this year. In order for her to qualify for the Olympics, she has to be named to Russia’s squad at least three times in an Olympic Games circle. Since her debut in 2008, she has been named to the team five times with two of them coming this year.
The Russian number one has had some pretty strong feelings about having the Fed Cup being a requirement for the Olympics. She said it was “a hassle and pointless”. Sharapova is looking to lead Russia to its first Fed Cup title since 2008. She will have to overcome Petra Kvitova and the Czech Republic squad who are looking for back-to-back Fed Cup titles.