Experienced Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau) opens the match against Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday (from 12.00 noon CET/DAZN) the Fed Cup duel between Germany and last year’s finalist Belarus in Minsk.
Afterwards, debutante Antonia Lottner (Düsseldorf) and Aliaksandra Sasnovich will contest the second singles. Last fall, the Belarussians lost 3-2 to the USA in their home game last fall, beating the USA 2-3 in a deciding doubles’ final.
On Sunday (from 11.00 am/live at DAZN) Maria and Sasnovich first face each other, then Lottner will play against Sabalenka. The new team boss Jens Gerlach nominated the experienced Anna-Lena Grönefeld (Nordhorn) and the young Anna-Lena Friedsam (Neuwied) in her first match for Germany for the potentially decisive doubles. The duo meets Wera Lapko and Lidija Marozawa.
In Minsk, both teams will have to give up their top players. Just like the two German top ten players Angelique Kerber (Kiel) and Julia Görges (Bad Oldesloe), Belarusian top star Victoria Azarenka also decided against taking part in the Fed Cup because of a continuing custody battle over her son Leo.