Birrell’s Fed selection is just a numbers game
GOLD Coast’s Kimberley Birrell looks set to miss out on Australia’s Fed Cup team – unless captain Alicia Molik elects to supersize her squad.
Melbourne’s Daria Gavrilova will have Queenslanders for company in the line-up for the Easter semi-final against Belarus at Pat Rafter Arena, with the squad named today.
Queenslanders Ash Barty, Sam Stosur and Priscilla Hon will be in an Australian team looking to drive their country through to a place in the competition’s final for the first time since 1993.
Birrell played singles against the US in February and would miss selection if Molik elects to select four players instead of the five she is able to name under competition rules.
Hon’s retention seems assured because she has been named as attending a media conference in Brisbane today at which the Australian team will be announced.
On March 13, Gold Coast veteran Stosur had made herself available to play Belarus after she sat out the win over the US and other ties last year.
Hon said she welcomed the availability of Stosur even if it made it harder for her to play a match, as she did in a winning doubles outing with Barty under the pressure of it being a deciding rubber in the US.
The Brisbane right-hander this week reached a careerbest ranking of No.130, a rise of eight places taking into account her runner-up week at a Canberra pro tour event.
The Queensland content in the Australian team will help drive ticket sales for the twoday tie, which starts on Saturday week.
■ BERNARD Tomic progressed to the second round of the ATP Houston event, beating Denis Kudla 7-6 (10-8), 7-5.
World No.79 Tomic faces Spain’s No.112 Marcel Granollers in the second round.