U.S. Heads Down Under for Fed Cup Playoffs in April
March 11, 2016 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Australia will host the U.S. Fed Cup Team in Brisbane at the Queensland Tennis Centre for the 2016 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Playoffs, April 16-17. The matches will be held on a clay court at Pat Rafter Arena, the site of the ATP and WTA’s Brisbane International in January.
The winner of this tie advances to the World Group in 2017, while the losing nation will compete in World Group II next year. The U.S. advanced to the Playoffs after winning its World Group II First Round tie last month by defeating Poland, 4-0, at the Holua Tennis Center at the Holua Resort at Mauna Loa Village in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
The United States has faced Australia 13 times, holding an 8-5 overall record. The two countries last met in the 1985 World Group Semifinal in Nagoya, Japan, where the U.S. won, 2-1. The U.S. and Australia have met a total of 10 times for the Fed Cup title, where the Americans hold a 7-3 advantage. The two nations also competed in the inaugural Fed Cup event in 1963, with the U.S. winning their first of 17 Fed Cup titles.
The U.S. leads all nations with 17 Fed Cup titles, the last coming in 2000. The U.S. holds an overall 145-36 record in Fed Cup competition with a 107-30 record in away and neutral ties. Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with 102 nations taking part in 2016.
