Fed Cup Final: Barty, Australia Host France In Perth

Ash Barty will try to cap an incredible season by helping her nation win the Fed Cup this weekend at home in Perth.

The Australian who finished 2019 No. 1 will be joined by Ajla Tomljanovic, Sam Stosur, Astra Sharma and Priscilla Hon.

France will bring Kristina Mladenovic, Carolina Garcia, Alize Cornet, Fiona Ferro and Pauline Parmentier.

Australia are aiming to win an 8th Fed Cup title this weekend in their first appearance in the Final for 26 years while France will be looking to win their 3rd Fed Cup title – and their first for 16 years, with their 2 previous titles coming in 1997, when they defeated Netherlands, and 2003, when they defeated USA.

Barty is bidding to extend a 14-match Fed Cup winning streak this weekend, having not lost a match in
the competition since 2017. Should she win 3 matches this weekend – as she did in both the World Group first round and semifinals this year – she will become the first player to win the maximum possible number of Fed Cup matches in a year (9) since the current format was adopted in 1995. Should she win 2 singles matches, she will become the 10th player to complete a perfect year in Fed Cup singles since 1995. She is 17-2 in the event.

“It is an amazing achievement to be involved in a Fed Cup Final, but we don’t just want to make the final. For all of us to be able to say that we are Fed Cup champions would be special,” Barty told fedcup.com.

“One of the best things about our team now is there is so much love and compassion. The way that Mol [team captain Alicia Molik] has been able to bring us together and create this real want and desire to play for Australia has been crucial.

“For all our players, staff and the Australian public in general, it’s been a long time between drinks and for us to have this opportunity is incredible.”

The 2020 Fed Cup will feature a new format, with the world’s 12 best teams coming together to battle for the title over one week at the new Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Finals in Budapest on 14-19 April. As finalists in 2019, both Australia and France will qualify automatically for the Finals next year.

FED CUP ORDER OF PLAY
Saturday
1. Tomljanovic (AUS) v Mladenovic (FRA)
2. Barty (AUS v Garcia (FRA)

SUNDAY
3. Barty (AUS) v Mladenovic (FRA)
4. Tomljanovic (AUS) v Garcia (FRA)
5. Barty / Stosur (AUS) v Garcia / Mladenovic (FRA)

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