RUSSIA'S FED CUP SIDE.

[annie]

SAFINNO1 said:

Jus out of interest i have not been closely following the WTA recently but how has Myskina performed this year.

Not too good ily. She's not been feeling well she says and no major wins or even quarterfinals this year.....YET!!!! LOL

[SAFINNO1]

Thanks Annie, just out of intereet have you seen any of her matches, so atleast we still know she has got the game to be among the elite again

[annie]

Bad news...Nastya Myskina won't be playing in the Fed Cup quarterfinal against Italy due to injury. So that's what the team looks like for the game:

Elena Dementieva
Vera Doushevina
Vera Zvonareva
Dinara

hmmmmm sad

[tall_one]

lol, who cares about Myskina!? Dinara is playing! ;D hopefully this will give her a chance to actually play instead of just sitting there watching.

[tall_one]

btw Annie, where did you see that Vera Doushevina was playing? The officail nominations on the Fed Cup website list Myskina

[annie]

SAFINNO1 said:

Thanks Annie, just out of intereet have you seen any of her matches, so atleast we still know she has got the game to be among the elite again

Ily I watched her when she lost in the second round of the Family Circle Tournament, which finished yesterday. She's still looking good but something seems to be bothering her a little...still shows some great tennis from time to time though, so I hope it's just a phase

[annie]

tall_one said:

btw Annie, where did you see that Vera Doushevina was playing? The officail nominations on the Fed Cup website list Myskina

Well I'm trying to search for the official info about this but haven't managed yet. However yesterday I was watching the final of the Family Circle with Dementieva and the commentator was saying that now the burden of the Head of the Russian Team for the upcoming Fed Cup match with Italy lies on Elena because Tarpischev announced that Nastya won't be playing due to an injury. Will keep you posted

[annie]

www.sport-express.ru/art.shtml?102189

for those Russian reading and speaking here is the link with the official announcement that Doushevina is going to Italy to play the Fed Cup match for Russia instead of Myskina.

Basically, Nastya has a shoulder injury but it's nothing serious and she'll continue training as from next week but taking into account that RG is soon coming up, Nastya and her trainer made a decision that she won't play the Fed Cup.

So now we have two players who are gonna have their debut in the Fed Cup. Doushevina and Dinara.

GOOD LUCK GIRLS!!!!!!!

[SAFINNO1]

Good luck girls,,,,,, especiaaly Dina. ;D

[Teresa]

Thanks Annie for the clarification and update
Wish the team all the best esp Dinara

[annie]

Taken from the official fed cup website.
GOOD LUCK THIS WEEKEND GIRLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Russians Target Repeat Victory
Having waited 42 years to win the Fed Cup for the first time, Russia appear to be developing a taste for it.

With five players in the top 10, and with three current grand slam champions from whom to choose, the Russians go into this year's event knowing that they have a great chance of defending the title they won so superbly against France in Moscow.

And that, according to Elena Dementieva and Anastasia Myskina, is exactly what they intend to do.

"I think we have a very strong team and we have a good chance again this year," Dementieva said.

"We had to wait a long time to win it and maybe we can win it again."

Dementieva will lead Russia in their first-round tie against Italy in Brindisi, while Elena Bovina and Dinara Safina, ranked 14 and 37 respectively, will also play.

Though Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova has yet to make her debut for Russia, and both Myskina and US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova will be missing, Russia still have a formidable side for this tie. And when they are all fit and available, as Russian fans will be hoping is the case later in the year, they look even stronger.

They'll need to be at their best, though, since the United States, whom they could meet in the semifinals, are unleashing world number one Lindsay Davenport and the Williams sisters on the competition for the first time since 1999, when, incidentally, they beat Russia in the final.

However, not even the strongest American team in years appears to have unsettled the Russians.

"It's exciting to compete against the best players," Dementieva said.

"Of course we have to play Italy first but if we get through that we will maybe play the USA, and then hopefully we can win that too."

Myskina, who beat Dementieva to win the French Open last year, said Russia's strength in depth was helping them build a team which could dominate the event for several years.

"It's tough, because we have so many players and they all want to play singles, so you don't want to sit on the bench," she said.
"But there's a lot of competition between the Russian girls and it's making us stronger."

Their victory over France in last year's final proved a huge success with the people in Russia, Dementieva said.

"I think it meant a lot," she said. "Most people in Russia don't really know how the WTA Tour works, they really just know the Olympic Games and team events, so the Fed Cup is very important there."

Dementieva, who also lost out in the US Open final last year, was not part of the team that beat France in the final, and said she was delighted to be back.

"For me it has always been a very important tournament," she said. "I participated in the Fed Cup for almost all of the years since I started playing, except last year. I always said, I am ready to play whenever and wherever.

"Now I am in the team again and I'm very excited."

[annie]

Here is also the TV Schedule for Russia and Italy for those who have cable


Host Broadcasters
Italy : RAI Sport
Day 1 : From 11:30 Live
Day 2 : From 09:30 Live
Comment : All times given in GMT

Italy : RAI
Day 1 : 1 Hour Highlights
Day 2 : 1 Hour Highlights
Comment : Times yet to be decided

Russia : NTV Plus
Day 1 : From 11:30 Live
Day 2 : From 09:30 Live
Comment : All times given in GMT

Russia : RTR
Day 1 : From 14:30 Delayed
Day 2 : From 12:30 Delayed
Comment : All times given in GMT

[Teresa]

Italy 0 0 Russia
R1 - F.SCHIAVONE (ITA) vs D.SAFINA (RUS)
R2 - T.GARBIN (ITA) vs E.DEMENTIEVA (RUS)
R3 - F.SCHIAVONE (ITA) vs E.DEMENTIEVA (RUS)
R4 - T.GARBIN (ITA) vs D.SAFINA (RUS)
R5 - T.GARBIN / F.SCHIAVONE (ITA) vs E.BOVINA / E.DEMENTIEVA (RUS)

GOOD LUCK Girls

[SAFINNO1]

interesting that Dina would not play in doubles as she has had a solid year then again she has been playing well in singles. All the while go Russia

[tall_one]