LADYDRAGON.COM - Fed Cup World Group, 2009 Semifinal Italy and Russia

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Tuesday April 21, 2009

Fed Cup World Group, 2009 Semifinal Italy and Russia

Nova Yardinia, Castellaneta Marina, Italy
Stadium Capacity: 3500
25 April - 26 April 2009
Day 1: 1200 hrs (1000 hrs GMT)
Day 2: 1130 hrs (0930 hrs GMT)
Surface: Clay (Red Clay) - Outdoors
Ball Type: Dunlop Fort Elite

Team Italy

Flavia PENNETTA

Francesca SCHIAVONE

Sara ERRANI

Roberta VINCI

Team Captain
Corrado BARAZZUTTI

Team Russia

Vera ZVONAREVA

Svetlana KUZNETSOVA

Nadia PETROVA

Anna CHAKVETADZE

Team Captain
Shamil TARPISCHEV

Italy and Russia meet for a 5th time with Italy looking for its first-ever victory against the formidable Russian team. The two nations last met in the 2007 Final in Moscow with Russia a comfortable 4-0 winner. The last time that the two nations met in Italy, in the 2005 quarterfinal, Italy won the first rubber but ended up losing 4-1.

Italy is the only nation other than Russia to win the Fed Cup in the last five years. Italy won the 2006 final, defeating Belgium, who had eliminated Russia in the first round that year - the only defeat that Russia has suffered in the last five years of the competition.

Italy is bidding to reach its 3rd Fed Cup final in the last four years and prevent Russia becoming the first nation since France in 2005 to reach three successive Fed Cup Finals

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is the world’s leading professional sport for women with more than 2,200 players representing 96 nations competing for more than $86 million in prize money at the Tour’s 51 events and four Grand Slams in 31 countries. More than 4.8 million people attended women’s tennis events in 2008 with millions more watching events on television networks around the world. The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour season concludes with the Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2009 in Doha, Qatar, from October 27-November 1, and the inaugural Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Indonesia from November 4-8. Further information on the Tour can be found on the Internet at www.sonyericssonwtatour.com