Reigning Wimbledon champion and world number three Petra Kvitova will lead holders Czech Republic in the Fed Cup semi-final tie against Italy in Ostrava on April 21-22, the Czech team said Wednesday. Team captain Petr Pala also called up 23-ranked Lucie Safarova, and doubles specialists Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, numbers eight and 10 in the WTA doubles rankings.
The in-form Safarova made it to the finals at Charleston last weekend. Hlavackova and Hradecka have won two WTA tournaments this year after clinching the Roland Garros trophy in 2011. Kvitova, who has been sidelined with an illness and injury for most of the past two months, said in a statement she was looking forward to the tie in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, as she is “beginning to miss tennis”. “It’s no good analysing the nomination, the key thing is who will play and how, and who will win the three points we need to advance to the finals,” she added. The Czechs beat Russia 3-2 in Moscow last November to win their first Fed Cup trophy since their country split with Slovakia in 1993.
