TA Press Release, February 13, 2018

Australia will compete for a place in the elite top-eight of Fed Cup at a World Group Play-off against the Netherlands in April.

The Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Play-off will take place in Australia on April 21-22 with the venue and surface to be determined in the coming weeks.

With memories of winning a tight tie against the Ukraine in Canberra over the weekend fresh in her mind, Australia’s Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik will turn her attention to the next step in the journey back to World Group I.

“It’s very exciting to have another Fed Cup tie at home – we’ve played away in Europe so many times in the past few years,” Molik said.

“This last weekend in Canberra was a wonderful reminder of how passionate our local crowds are and it will be fantastic to have the opportunity to play at home again and showcase women’s tennis.

“The Netherlands has a really strong team – we lost to them in 2015 so having the chance to play them at home will be terrific.

“We will now look at the best surface and venue options – we need to think about what will work best for the players and their schedules, and let the fans know as soon as we can,” Molik continued.

Australia defeated Ukraine 3-2 at a hotly contested first round tie in Canberra this weekend. The Netherlands lost their World Group II first round tie 1-3 to the United States.

Fast Facts:  

·   Australia has met the Netherlands in Fed Cup competition 10 previous occasions since 1966

·   Australia leads the rivalry 8-2

·    Netherlands defeated Australia 4-1 in s’-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, at the same stage of the competition in 2015