Tue, April 07, 2009
MELBOURNE (AFP) – Australia's Samantha Stosur will hope to extend her recent run of form after being named in the Fed Cup team to play Switzerland this month for a place in World Group II.
Stosur upset world number two Dinara Safina of Russia on her way to the quarter-finals of the Miami WTA hardcourt title last month, also defeating French former world number one Amelie Mauresmo in the same tournament.
Her run lifted the 25-year-old's ranking to 31 and consolidated a comeback from viral illness that struck in 2007 and kept her out of the game for nine months.
She will line up alongside former world number four Jelena Dokic, who shocked the tennis world when she returned from the wilderness to reach the last eight at this year's Australian Open.
Teenager Jessica Moore and veteran Rennae Stubb will complete a Fed Cup team that captain David Taylor said was the strongest Australia had fielded for long time.
"Right now, with Stosur having just beaten the world number two and very close to her highest-ever ranking and Dokic?s performances over the summer, we have two in-form players heading to Mildura," he said.
"It is probably the strongest Australian team we have had from a form point of view in a long time."
Australian team to play Switzerland in the Fed Cup World Group II play-off in Mildura on April 25 and 26.
Australia: Samantha Stosur, Jelena Dokic, Jessica Moore and Rennae Stubbs.
(Agencies)
