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WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS

RUSSIA v USA
Venue: Small Sport Arena "Luzhniki", Moscow (clay - indoors)

Russia
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Anna Chakvetadze
Dinara Safina
Elena Vesnina
Captain: Shamil Tarpischev

USA
Liezel Huber
Vania King
Ahsha Rolle
Madison Brengle
Captain: Zina Garrison

CHINA, P.R. v SPAIN
Venue: Beijing International Tennis Center, Beijing (hard - indoors)

China, P.R.
Shuai Peng
Jie Zheng
Zi Yan
Tian-Tian Sun
Captain: Hong-Wei Jiang

Spain
Nuria Llagostera Vives
Carla Suarez-Navarro
Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez
Arantxa Parra-Santonja
Captain: Miguel Margets

[B]WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS[/B]

ITALY v UKRAINE
Venue: Geovillage, Olbia (clay - outdoors)

Italy
Francesca Schiavone
Flavia Pennetta
Karin Knapp
Sara Errani
Captain: Corrado Barrazzutti

Ukraine
Alona Bondarenko
Katerina Bondarenko
Mariya Koryttseva
Tatiana Perebiynis
Captain: Volodymyr Bogdanov

JAPAN v FRANCE
Venue: Ariake Colussium, Tokyo (hard - outdoors)

Japan
Ai Sugiyama
Akiko Morigami
Aiko Nakamura
Ayumi Morita
Captain: Minoru Ueda

France
Amelie Mauresmo
Virginie Razzano
Alize Cornet
Nathalie Dechy
Captain: Georges Goven

ARGENTINA v GERMANY
Venue: Pilara Tenis Club, Buenos Aires (clay - outdoors)

Argentina
Gisela Dulko
Maria-Emilia Salerni
Jorgelina Cravero
Betina Jozami
Captain: Ricardo Rivera

Germany
Martina Muller
Angelique Kerber
Sabine Lisicki
Jasmin Woehr
Captain: Barbara Rittner

ISRAEL v CZECH REPUBLIC
Venue: Canada Stadium, Ramat Hashron (clay - outdoors)

Israel
Shahar Peer
Tzipora Obziler
Julia Glushko
Chen Astrugo
Captain: Oded Jacob

Czech Republic
Lucie Safarova
Petra Kvitova
Iveta Benesova
Kveta Peschke
Captain: Petr Pala

WORLD GROUP II PLAY-OFFS

BELGIUM v COLOMBIA
Venue: Mons Expo, Mons (hard - outdoors)

Belgium
Yanina Wickmayer
Caroline Maes
Kirsten Flipkens
Tamaryn Hendler
Captain: Sabine Appelmans

Colombia
Catalina Castano
Mariana Duque-Marino
Yuliana Lizarazo
Alexandra Moreno-Kaste
Captain: Ignacio Arroyave

AUSTRIA v SWITZERLAND
Venue: Messestadion Dornbirn, Dornbirn (hard - indoors)

Austria
Sybille Bammer
Tamira Paszek
Yvonne Meusburger
Melanie Klaffner
Captain: Alfred Tesar

Switzerland
Patty Schnyder
Emmanuelle Gagliardi
Stefanie Voegele
Nicole Riner
Captain: Rolf Buhler

SLOVAK REPUBLIC v UZBEKISTAN
Venue: Sibamac Arena, Bratislava (clay - indoors)

Slovak Republic
Kristina Kucova (replaces Daniela Hantuchova)
Dominika Cibulkova
Magdalena Rybarikova
Janette Husarova
Captain: Mojmir Mihal

Uzbekistan
Akgul Amanmuradova
Iroda Tulyaganova
Vlada Ekshibarova
Albina Khabibulina
Captain: Samuk Abidov

CROTIA v SERBIA
Venue: Dom Sportova, Zagreb (hard - indoors)

Croatia
Nika Ozegovic
Jelena Kostanic-Tosic
Ana Vrljic
Sanda Mamic
Captain: Goran Prpic

Serbia
Ana Ivanovic
Jelena Jankovic
Ana Jovanovic
Teodora Mircic
Captain: Dejan Vranes

Certainly hope the Israeli crowd behave themselves a bit better than they did against Russia. It was disgusting.

ah nationalism :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

as for the semis, i guess it's Russia & China all the way :)

and Jankovic is playing, shock :o

Spain into the final! Didn't see that coming. For one, I didn't think a Spanish side playing away and on a fast surface - and bereft of AMG, Spain's only Top 40 player - would scrape up even more than a win against China, and lo and behold they ended up dominating the tie 4-1. I guess the prospect of playing for their first final was too much for the Chinese side, and home advantage probably ended up being home pressures instead. Peng was definitely the weak link. Despite being the highest-ranked player out of both teams, she lost both her singles rubbers in straight sets (even against an obscure Suarez-Navarro well outside the Top 100) and somehow contrived to lose the doubles rubber 1 and 2 despite being partnered with this year's AO mixed doubles champion, Sun. Unlucky for her but she was instrumental in even getting China this far, upsetting the Top 30 Razzano in the tie against France on their home turf, which made all the difference for that 3-2 victory, so it's not all bad.

Nothing too surprising about the US-Russia formality, although King acquitted herself very well, testing Chakvetadze and stretching an in-form Zvonareva to three sets; with a few doubles titles under her belt it's also not surprising she helped to win the doubles rubber along with No 1 doubles player Huber (who somehow became American when I wasn't paying attention). Rolle reached the third round at the USO, upsetting Golovin along the way, so good to see her resurface and notch a win in her first Fed Cup outing. I do seriously hope the Williams sisters (and Davenport if she is still mixing it up out there) both play if they are drawn against Russia again next year, since a full-strength US team is one of a handful of teams that can break their domination of Fed Cup. Belgium managed it in 2006, but post-Clijsters they've fallen out of contention; and Serbia won't be in the World Group until 2010 at the earliest (well done to Ivanovic and Jankovic for leading Serbia into their World Group II debut, incidentally). France doesn't have enough depth now with a declining Mauresmo, although she did well to see them back in the World Group this weekend.

Meanwhile Spain have choice of ground but it will probably not help; Kuznetsova is very tough on clay, as is Dementieva, and if Petrova is fit and manages to piece together some form by then, so is she. AMG tested Sharapova recently on the quicker green clay and of course is very good on the red stuff, so she might manage to win one of her singles rubbers, but even with an improving Llagostera Vives, I doubt Spain will be able to trouble Russia. It'll be a fourth Fed Cup title for them in five years.

Oh, and the Czechs upset Israel at home, mostly because a slumping Peer somehow lost both her singles rubbers (prior to her loss to Sharapova she had never lost a Fed Cup match, winning around a dozen in a row). Argentina are also surprisingly into the World Group, seeing off Germany. Well done to them on their success, centred largely around the efforts of Dulko, who has had bad luck with injuries lately but did win two titles last season.