Tennis: Halep, Buzarnescu, Begu, Bogdan, Niculescu - Romania's Fed Cup team against Czech Republic

Romanian tennis players Simona Halep (WTA's 3rd), Mihaela Buzarnescu (WTA's 28th), Irina Camelia Begu (WTA's 71st), Ana Bogdan (WTA's 99th) and Monica Niculescu (WTA's 100th) were invited by Florin Segarceanu, the non-playing captain of Romania's Fed Cup team to play against the Czech Republic's team, in the first round of the World Group.

According to a press release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday, Florin Segarceanu said that, although Romania is not the one with the first chance to win in this meeting, anything can happen in a Fed Cup match.

"The draw wasn't precisely in our favour, we were a bit unlucky, for we are set to meet one of the most valuable nations in the Fed Cup circuit and, more than that, Kvitova and Piskova have been in great shape since the beginning of this year, with two tournaments won and semi-final and final played at the Australian Open. Then, in terms of rankings, we are talking about a team that has the WTA's 2nd ranked player and the WTA's 5th ranked player, in the singles ranking, and also WTA's no. 1 and no.2 in the doubles, in its composition. This tells all about the value of the Czech team. So, maybe we do have the second and not the first chance to win, as they say, but we also know that a lot can happen in these Fed Cup meetings, many surprises, especially as the pressure will be more on them, as they are the favourite and are playing at home. So if we are ready and all the girls are ready and in good health, and Simona too, for we know she can defeat anyone at any time, on any court, it's clear that we still have a good chance," said Segarceanu.

In her turn, Alina Cercel Tecsor, Romania's coach, said that the meeting with the Czech Republic represents an occasion for her team to show its value. "The confrontations with the champion team are always thrilling and full of emotions, and Fed Cup is a competition where anything can happen if you really believe in your team. Romania has a strong team now, decided and determined to play the best tennis in Ostrava. Regardless of the composition of the Czech team, I strongly believe in the value of our girls," added Tecsor.

Romania's Fed Cup team is going to meet the current champion, the Czech Republic, in the first round of the World Group, in Ostrava. The match will be held on a hard court, at the Ostravar Arena, a hall with a 6,350-seat capacity. AGERPRES (RO - editor: Marius Tone; EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)