Maria Kirilenko vs Lucie Safarova – Fed Cup WG Final Preview: Russia vs Czech Republic
All tennis fans are anxiously waiting for the final showdown of the Fed Cup World Group, as the Russian squad takes on Team Czech Republic on Saturday and Sunday. The contest will be played on the indoor hard courts of the Olympic
Stadium, Moscow, with the two toughest sides battling out to clinch the glory at the mega event.
World number 27, Maria Kirilenko, will play the fourth singles rubber of the competition against the Czech Republic’s, Lucie Safarova, on Sunday evening. It will be hard to predict how significant this fourth rubber will be after
the first day’s play on Saturday but the two top class contestants will surely throw out their best at each other in the game.
The two sides have faced twice on prior occasions and have a 2-2 record against each other in Fed Cup competitions. It is the second time in 23 years that Russia and the Czech Republic have reached the Fed Cup finals, as the Russians
suffered a 2-1 defeat in 1988 final.
Currently holding the 24th spot in the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) World Rankings, Safarova has been in a decent form this season. The Czech will play her first singles rubber against the 19th ranked,
Svetlana Kuznetsova, on Saturday and then take on Kirilenko the other day to play a significant part in his team’s performance.
Safarova has already won 35 out of 59 singles encounters this season so far, while suffering defeats in 24 matches. Her first singles rubber of the competition will certainly play a great part in her performance against 27th
ranked Kirilenko on Sunday and Safarova needs to put her best to take down Kuznetsova on the first day to gain her winning impetus.
The Czech contestant has not bagged a championship title this year but her crafty tennis is considered to have enough potential to overcome Kirilenko in Sunday’s encounter. The Russian opponent has been straining a bit to gain
her vintage form and is having a title drought as well. Kirilenko rides a 29-21 winning record in the current WTA season and desperately needs a couple of victories to finish up her season on a winning note.
Kirilenko will start off the proceedings from the Russian side on Saturday, when she will take on the Czech spearhead, world number two Petra Kvitova, in the opening singles rubber. The Russian must start off well in her first
matchup to put up a stiff competition against Safarova on the next day. It is also anticipated that Kvitova will easily dump Kirilenko in the opening rubber, ravaging her confidence for the next match and it will remain an easy task for Safarova to take down
the dejected Russian in the fourth rubber.
Kirilenko leads the all-time head-to-head series by 4-1 against Safarova but the Czech competitor stood victorious against the Russian in their last encounter in Monterrey in 2009. With a win on her back, Safarova will step on
court with huge confidence and it is expected that the Czech will take down Kirilenko in straight sets to assist her side to vglory.
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