After two singles defeats in the qualifiers in Nur-Sultan, the German tennis team is now facing a duel for relegation. Both Angelique Kerber and Laura Siegemund walked off the court disappointed.
The German tennis team around Angelique Kerber is on the verge of missing out on the final tournament of the Billie Jean King Cup. After the opening singles, the selection with the three-time Grand Slam winner at the top is 0:2 behind in Kazakhstan. Kerber (Kiel) and Laura Siegemund (Metzingen) lost their matches on the clay court in Nur-Sultan – now a duel for relegation looms.
Weak spring continues
Kerber lost to the world number 52 Julija Putinzewa 6:3, 3:6, 2:6, while Siegemund had no chance against the Kazakh number one Elena Rybakina at 0:6, 1:6. Two more singles and a doubles match are scheduled for Saturday (from 9 am CEST), any further defeat means elimination from the final round (8-13 November) and a nail-biter in the play-offs to stay among the top teams (11-12 November).
For Kerber, the weak spring continues after her preparation was affected by Corona. Her only two wins of the season came in Indian Wells. At the Australian Open, in Qatar and Miami, she was eliminated after the first match. Against Putintseva, after a good start and almost two hours of play, she suffered her first defeat in their third meeting.
Siegemund had recently won two doubles titles and gained confidence, but after a long knee injury she lacks match practice, which was evident in her match against Rybakina, number 19 in the WTA rankings. After the cancellation of Andrea Petkovic (Darmstadt), Jule Niemeier (Dortmund) and Anna-Lena Friedsam (Neuwied) are still in the German line-up. Kerber and Rybakina are expected to play their first match on Saturday.
Germany has won the women’s team competition, formerly known as the Fed Cup, twice (1987 and 1992). Eight years ago, the team last reached the final (1-3 in the Czech Republic), even then with Kerber at number one. Last year was the first time a final tournament of the best twelve teams was held. In Prague, Kerber and Co. were eliminated in the group phase.