Tennis News

The World Group II play-off draw has thrown out a potential heavyweight clash between Johanna Konta and Simona Halep, after Great Britain was drawn against Romania in the Federation Cup play-offs. The matches will be played in Romania on 22-23 April.

Britain kept alive its hopes of reaching the World Group stage for the first time since 1993 in dramatic fashion. Konta and team-mate Heather Watson won their doubles match against Croatia’s Ana Konjuh and Darija Jurak in Tallinn on Saturday, after the 19-year-old Konjuh had stunned the WTA World No.10 in their singles rubber, 6-4 6-3.

Aegon GB @FedCup Team will face Romania away in the World Group II Play-Offs! #BackTheBrits pic.twitter.com/3RIcEH7E3C

— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) February 14, 2017

Romania is arguably the toughest draw available however, with WTA World No.4 Halep in the team. The 25-year-old missed her team’s surprise defeat to Belgium in their World Group II opener but will prove a formidable challenge when she returns.

Serbia, who came through alongside Britain, have drawn Australia while Chinese Taipei will host Italy and Kazakhstan travel to Canada.

In the World Group play-offs draw, Dominika Cibulkova and her Slovakia team will host Netherlands. 2016 finalist France will face Spain in the first meeting between the teams for six years. Russia will meet Belgium – the latter goes into the play-offs on the back of six consecutive Fed Cup tie wins. Elsewhere Germany will play at home to Ukraine.

The full draw is as follows:>

World Group play-offs

France v Spain
Russia v Belgium
Germany v Ukraine
Slovakia v The Netherlands

World Group II play-offs

Chinese Taipei v Italy
Romania v Great Britain
Serbia v Australia
Canada v Kazakhstan

WTA World No.8 Svetlana Kuznetsova, Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard and Italian Sara Errani have all been forced to withdraw from next week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships through injury.

Kuznetsova, who recently pulled out of the Qatar Total Open, citing an abdominal injury, issued a statement confirming that the injury would take longer than expected to heal.

“The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is one of the best tournaments in the world,” said the 2009 Dubai runner-up. “I am therefore sad to announce that I will have to miss this event this year. My doctors advised me that I need at least another week to rest my abdominal injury in order for a full recovery. I look forward to competing on the court very soon. I extend my best wishes to the organizers.”

Bouchard is also suffering from an abdominal injury and Errani, the reigning champion in Dubai, has withdrawn with a right adductor issue.