FED CUP 2012 - World Group II Play-offs: GBR v SWE - Boras, 21-22 Apr

[Sallydaisy]

Great Britain drew Sweden BUT it's away in Sweden w/end 21/22 April 2012.

Per Fed Cup Twitter:

WGII PO - Sweden v Great Britain in SWE, Argentina v China in ARG
World Group II play-offs - Slovenia v France in FRA, Switzerland v Belarus in SUI

Probably the best draw for our girls but shame it is away ...

Other draws
WG PO - USA v Ukraine in UKR, Belgium v Japan in JPN
WG PO - Spain v Slovak Republic in ESP, Australia v Germany in GER

[david1610]

Great Britain drew Sweden BUT it's away in Sweden w/end 21/22 April 2012.

Per Fed Cup Twitter:


Probably the best draw for our girls but shame it is away ...


Other draws
WG PO - USA v Ukraine in UKR, Belgium v Japan in JPN
WG PO - Spain v Slovak Republic in ESP, Australia v Germany in GER
Yes, but at least they did not get Argentina away...

[-J-]

Sweden have two top-100 players in Johanna Larsson (62) and Sofia Arvidsson (74), but no-one else inside the world's top 500,;)

[Sallydaisy]

The Swedish Tennis Association has confirmed that the tie between Great Britain and Sweden will take place at Boråshallen in Borås, Sweden.

There will be seating for up to 2,500 spectators and the surface will be indoor hard court.
The draw will take place on Friday 20th April at 1pm, with play starting at 2pm on Saturday and 12pm on Sunday.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tweet from Judy:

Right all u British tennis fans....get ur face paints n ur hooters packed....+ get urselves 2 Boras 2 support the babes. 21-22 april#FedCup

Neil Harman:

Nearest airport to GB Fed Cup tie venue (Boras) in April is Gothenburg. Not been there since 1992 Euros. Heavens is that 20 years ago?
Alex Willis:

Alas, some fool decided to schedule the London marathon the same weekend. And another fool (me), agreed to run in it :(

[Sallydaisy]

(https://twitter.com/#%21/judmoo)Judy again:
"@FedCup (https://twitter.com/#%21/FedCup): Here is a pic of Borashallen, the venue where SWE will play GBR in FC WGII 21-22 April twitpic.com/8psj1g (http://t.co/dAnov5sW)" bring it on!!!

[supergran]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could afford to go to all these tennis tournaments to cheer on the girls as well as the boys?:sad: sigh

[hfwardhouse]

I'd love to go back to Sweden - been twice and loved it ..... but April, as we all know, is NOT a good month for me :crying:

[-J-]

I'd love to go back to Sweden - been twice and loved it ..... but April, as we all know, is NOT a good month for me :crying:bååååstad?

[Linda]

It also clashes with Monte Carlo!

[hfwardhouse]

bååååstad?

:rolling:

[cazza99]

The Fed Cup is this weekend guys.

BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17784069)- Fed Cup: Elena Baltacha plays first in GB tie v Sweden

[JAMES4578]

Hopefully Elena can get the team off to a god start,all the best!

[Jan]

good luck to the GB girls. Hopefully this will be on a stream :)

[Sallydaisy]

R1: Johanna Larsson WR 71 v Elena Baltacha WR 63
R2: Sofia Arvidsson WR 54 v Anne Keothavong WR 79
R3: Sofia Arvidsson WR 54 v Elena Baltacha WR 63
R4: Johanna Larsson WR 71 v Anne Keothavong WR 79
R5: Sofia Arvidsson & Johanna Larsson v Laura Robson & Heather Watson

Start times:
Day 1: 1400 hrs (1300 hrs BST)
Day 2: 1100 hrs (1000 hrs BST)

[Sallydaisy]

Where to follow the fortunes of our Fed Cup team this weekend.

More information to follow.

[harriet]

hi sallydaisy, it's on sky or you can subscribe to eurosport for desktop use.

[Sallydaisy]

Twitter notes:

MikeDickson (Daily Mail)
Big week for the Murrays, Andy and Jamie in Monte Carlo, Judy captaining GB Fed Cup team v Sweden. I'm off to cover the latter.

Judy:
@Mike_Dickson_DM (https://twitter.com/#%21/Mike_Dickson_DM) smart choice! bring ur thermals. Parky here.
Magician at the GB table.I asked him 2 make the Swedish team disappear.He said "I'm not that good". http://yfrog.com/oelj8fnj (http://t.co/dQV57Bxx)
Reggie the Magic Man trying to fox Annie K with his rubber band trick. He succeeded. http://yfrog.com/occgcxuj (http://t.co/ObXjgyio)

BritishTennis:
The Brits are scouting the Swedish #fedcup (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23fedcup) team. @judmoo (https://twitter.com/#%21/judmoo) @heatherwatson92 (https://twitter.com/#%21/heatherwatson92) @annekeothavong (https://twitter.com/#%21/annekeothavong) @laurarobson5 (https://twitter.com/#%21/laurarobson5) @ElenaBaltacha (https://twitter.com/#%21/ElenaBaltacha) http://pic.twitter.com/uOgeyYH9 (http://t.co/uOgeyYH9)
Meanwhile on court @laurarobson5 (https://twitter.com/#%21/laurarobson5) gives a double thumbs up to her hitting session with @annekeothavong (https://twitter.com/#%21/annekeothavong) #fedcup (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23fedcup) @judmoo (https://twitter.com/#%21/judmoo) http://pic.twitter.com/mH6paK2H (http://t.co/mH6paK2H)View the latest pre #FedCup (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23FedCup) tie photos of GB team @judmoo (https://twitter.com/#%21/judmoo) @elenabaltacha (https://twitter.com/#%21/elenabaltacha) @laurarobson5 (https://twitter.com/#%21/laurarobson5) @heatherwatson92 (https://twitter.com/#%21/heatherwatson92) @annekeothavong (https://twitter.com/#%21/annekeothavong) http://bit.ly/HVv9Pg (http://t.co/O7k35HcW)
Here's captain @judmoo (https://twitter.com/#%21/judmoo) ironing her dress b4 the official #fedcup (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23fedcup) dinner. Watch this space for the girls all glammed up! http://pic.twitter.com/d6ywPUAS (http://t.co/d6ywPUAS)
Beautiful Brits!! @laurarobson5 (https://twitter.com/#%21/laurarobson5) @annekeothavong (https://twitter.com/#%21/annekeothavong) @judmoo (https://twitter.com/#%21/judmoo) @heatherwatson92 (https://twitter.com/#%21/heatherwatson92) @ElenaBaltacha (https://twitter.com/#%21/ElenaBaltacha) #bestlookingfedcupteam (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23bestlookingfedcupteam) #fedcup (https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23fedcup) http://pic.twitter.com/TnuLnfgb (http://t.co/TnuLnfgb)

PiersNewbury:
Nice from @ElenaBaltacha (https://twitter.com/#%21/ElenaBaltacha) on @FedCup (https://twitter.com/#%21/FedCup) - "It took me a while to cotton on that there is only us and the Swedes here." http://bbc.in/HWCGwl (http://t.co/UKirudOu)

[Sallydaisy]

Twitter yesterday and today ahead of the match

Judy - tweets and retweets:
Team rm stockd.Red,white n blue nail varnish,union jack earrings n Cadburys dairy milk.Necessities. http://yfrog.com/obfb6jyj (http://t.co/3L0vsx8f)
Practice finished at 1030am = perfect timing 4 coffee n cakes. 2day its Purple Pie. Say nothing. http://yfrog.com/hs6zqrjj (http://t.co/qzcS6Atp)
Arrived in Boras, where GB's Fed Cup team are the most high-profile British visitors since the Beatles in 1963.(StuFraser)
Captain Judy Murray intends to jump in the River Viskan if GB beat Sweden this weekend. Another motivation for the players...(Overend)
GB cheer squad watching practice and singing "Hey Jude" to captain Murray. In other news, Baltacha hitting very sweetly(Overend)
GB v Sweden. We are winning the Chocolate War. #FedCup (https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23FedCup) http://yfrog.com/h7jydaqj (http://t.co/h6KWXgc7)
Some1 decorated our corridor last nite. Balloons n big pink banner covered in twitter msjs! Love it. http://yfrog.com/kgmrwdbj (http://t.co/lAUBe9PQ)
The Swedish men r very well trained. Hoovering the courts at 9am......#FedCup (https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23FedCup) http://yfrog.com/h7rjxrlj (http://t.co/JT1jcqXw)
Testing out the GB team bench. Pls note the cushions + Swedish sponsor. COWI. Yeh I covered the I :) http://yfrog.com/oed0cqnj (http://t.co/b0Kyq2o7)
"@EurosportUKTV (https://twitter.com/#!/EurosportUKTV): @judmoo (https://twitter.com/#!/judmoo) Good stuff! Best of luck to you and the Fed Cup's very own "Fab Four"! ;)" guess uv heard what our walk on tune is?
Beatles played at Borashallen in 1963 so my Fab Four will be walking on to the other Fab Four.....
"@EurosportUKTV (https://twitter.com/#!/EurosportUKTV): @judmoo (https://twitter.com/#!/judmoo) Yup... "Shake it up, baby", indeed!". And we will....we had a Team Twist Off last night.....:)

British Tennis:
Yes. They've arrived! And they're in full voice at the GB #fedcup (https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23fedcup) practice session #stirlingunibarmyarmy (https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23stirlingunibarmyarmy) in Boras, SWE! http://pic.twitter.com/IAd8f2wt (http://t.co/IAd8f2wt)

StuFraser
Bemused Boras locals looking all around as the loud vocals of the Stirling Uni Barmy Army belt out from a rooftop balcony across the town.
"Have The Beatles returned?", said one elderly Swedish lady.
Play gets underway here in 45 mins (1pm UK time). Live on British Eurosport 2. Baltacha has the chance vs Larsson to put GB 1-0 up.
Baltacha has a fantastic Fed Cup hard-court match record of 19-1. Although the indoor court in Boras is the speed of a clay court..#FedCup (https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23FedCup)
The Borashallen seems to have a bit of history. Beatles played here in 1963 & Magic Johnson played for local B'ball team in 90s. #FedCup (https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23FedCup)
Appears Carlos Ramos doesn't just have a fan club in Melbourne. Barmy Army chanting the ITF referee's name. Returned with a smile. #FedCup (https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23FedCup)
Out of the two, Larsson looking much more comfortable from the baseline in these early stages. Court so slow

JonathanOverend
Swedish officials disappointed with ticket sales here in Boras. We'll be lucky to have 1000.
Shame.
One of the more entertaining opening ceremonies as GB, as promised, dance out to Twist and Shout and anthems are sung well by Swedish duo
GB cheer squad have chants for everyone.. now singing about Carlos Ramos - the tie referee!

Fine start from Johanna Larsson who loves to thump her forehand. 3-0 Sweden.

[Sallydaisy]

hi sallydaisy, it's on sky or you can subscribe to eurosport for desktop use.

Thanks Harriet.
:thumbup:

[SamP]

Fuming at Eurosport Player, internal server error when I try to watch the match. :doh:

[karanga]

Best of luck to our girls. :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:

[Jan]

Bally is *1-4 in first set

[Sallydaisy]

Per JonathanOverend:

So much lurching forward from both players at the baseline.The ball is really sticking on this dodgy court. Sooooo Slowwww. 4-1 Sweden.

Sadly Baltacha not at her best, particularly around the net. One awful volley and a touch forehand well wide to go double break down

GB 1-5 ...

[Jan]

1-6

[Jan]

Better from Bally at the start of the 2nd. She breaks for *2-0 :clap:

[JAMES4578]

Not the best start but hopefully Elena right back in it, come on!

[Jan]

now 2-2

[harriet]

and now 3-3

[Jan]

Bally had 3 break points in that game, but 4-4

[harriet]

leon smith is there, bally pressing at 3-4, but if she wins here will have to serve for set. so, break next time

[Jan]

great hold from Bally. 5-4* Now a kitkat please!

[Sallydaisy]

leon smith is there, bally pressing at 3-4, but if she wins here will have to serve for set. so, break next time

Harriet - I'm signed up for EurosportPlayer but it isn't working.
Any clues?
I don't have SKY and refuse to pay for it ...

[harriet]

good hold by elena, take a kitkat now! please

[harriet]

sorry sallydaisy, i do have sky, but if eurosport player have accepted your money they should/must provide the service. contact them?

[Jan]

if it's any help I'm watching on this stream:
http://www.sportlemon.tv/v-2/18/184/v-398516.html

[Jan]

Bally broken :sad:

[harriet]

no kitkat, now elena under pressure on her serve, 15-40.
brokern! so sweden serve for the match

[Jan]

and she loses 1-6 5-7 :crying:

[harriet]

and sweden are 1-0 in the rubber.

[Sallydaisy]

if it's any help I'm watching on this stream:
http://www.sportlemon.tv/v-2/18/184/v-398516.html

Thanks Jan, could have saved myself £3.99. Not doing that again in a hurry!!!
:rolleyes:

[JAMES4578]

What a pity, it was poor game at 5 all and Larsson easily served it out. A pit of pressure on Anne now!

[harriet]

hi sallydaisy, don't giv up eurosprt player so soon, in what way isn't it working?

[Sallydaisy]

hi sallydaisy, don't giv up eurosprt player so soon, in what way isn't it working?
The Eurosport2 channel is out of action; they've tweeted about it apparently.
:grrr:

I'll find a stream for the later matches - have to pop out for a few mins just now so I'll catch up with tennis later.

[harriet]

it' not on that channel, it's the 3rd channel, just called eurosport i think. it's working fine for me. there's a 20min interval till anne k

no, eurosport 2 UK, but it is working

[harriet]

players knocking up now. anne keothavong WR 79 v sofia arvidsson WR 54

[Sallydaisy]

JonOverend:

Larsson gives Sweden the lead. Now down to Keothavong to trouble Arvidsson, Sweden's numero uno.
Capt Murray cleans her specs

[Jan]

Annie K up and running - breaks in first game :)

[Jan]

and broken back in the second :doh:

[harriet]

deuce on anne's serve, broken!!!

[harriet]

deuce on sofia's serve, tho anne had 2 break points, and sofia holds

[harriet]

and sofia breaks for 3-1

[Jan]

and quickly holds for 4-1*

[harriet]

anne now, at 1-4, one break down. having to run a lot and sofia just a bit stronger so far

[JAMES4578]

After the early break things haven't got well really, come on Anne!

[harriet]

and sadly anne dropped serve, so sofia now serving at 5-1 for first set

[harriet]

so first set to sweden in no time

[JAMES4578]

Sofia has a breadstick, let's get going in the 2nd Anne!

[Jan]

better hold from Anne in the second set

[harriet]

but broken now, sofia at 2- 1

[Jan]

but this set is going the same way as the first - Anne now a break down

[harriet]

easy hold, anne at 1-3

[harriet]

and anne holds from deuce down, tough point, good win

[Jan]

great hustle from Anne. she has 2 bp's

and takes the first - come on Anne!

[harriet]

kitkat!! so anne serves at 3-3.
and blackburn have just got a SECOND goal v norwich

[Jan]

And broken again

[harriet]

anne nets, for 30-40. tendency to net or go just over the line, and alas she is broken.
sofia at 4-3

[Sallydaisy]

Anne breaks back again!!! 4-4

[Jan]

come on Anne!!!

[JAMES4578]

All is not lost but Anne must try and hold now to put Sofia under some pressure!

[KnightOwl]

Couple of brilliant shots there from Anne to break back - only just realised this was televised on Eurosport :shamed:

[harriet]

anne playing so well, really going for it, looking fierce and eager on court

[Sallydaisy]

Anne *0-40 (livescore is ahead of the stream I've found).

*15-40

[Sallydaisy]

Darn it - Anne couldn't hold serve. Arvidsson to serve for the match at 6'1, 5'4
:sad:

[Jan]

but Sweden will serve for the match

[KnightOwl]

Oops, and broken again....

[harriet]

alas, broken. so sofia to serve for the set at 5-4

[Sallydaisy]

Sweden win 6'1, 6'4 and have a 2-0 lead over GBR.

[cazza99]

For anyone having problems with eurosport player, earlier in the year I found it worked better with Internet Explorer than with Firefox. So it may be worth trying with different browsers.

[Sallydaisy]

For anyone having problems with eurosport player, earlier in the year I found it worked better with Internet Explorer than with Firefox. So it may be worth trying with different browsers.
But Eurosport have tweeted that it's an internal server problem their end so not sure how IE would make it work? I got a stream to work on Sportlemon.
:confused:


10am Sunday for the rest of the matches.

[harriet]

and anne netted her smash!! what a pity, was really going for that.
but sweden win 6-4

[Jan]

disappointing but not entirely unexpected. Wonder who Judy will put in for the singles tomorrow - will she stick with Bally and Anne or give one of the youngsters a chance???

[harriet]

salydaisy, i am on firefox - you are looking at the wrong channel, it's working fine for me
channel 411, eurosport 2 UK

[Jan]

OK I need to go and do some other bits and pieces. Won't be able to watch in the morning - not back from church till about 1pm, but will be here as soon as I can when I get back. Cheer them on for me!!

[harriet]

i favour staying with elena and anne, maybe not for a dead rubber if it comes to that. if there is a fifth rubber decider laura and heather need to be fresh

[Sallydaisy]

salydaisy, i am on firefox - you are looking at the wrong channel, it's working fine for me
I'm not looking at the wrong channel - and I'm not alone in having problems.
Steven, Michelle, Patmoren, SamP and many others have had issues and we've all tried all 3 BE channels available. BE1 had superbike, BE2 was supposed to have Fed Cup but gave an error message and BE had snooker.

There's a twitter account wherein BE have acknowledged their server is playing up so perhaps it's only people in certain areas (like yourself) who can get the BEplayer to work OK.

[harriet]

help! when does it start tomorrow?

[harriet]

well sallydaisy, i am sorry there is a problem their end and you can't see pictures. don't know why i can, maybe i was there early, or lucky

[Sallydaisy]

But Eurosport have tweeted that it's an internal server problem their end so not sure how IE would make it work? I got a stream to work on Sportlemon.
:confused:


10am Sunday for the rest of the matches.


help! when does it start tomorrow?
^^^ per post on previous page ....

[JAMES4578]

Disappointing GB couldn't make more of an impression and though the Swedes were up for it were up for it on home soil Bally and Anne could have played better. Now a tough ask, think I would take a calculated risk and put Heather in the singles.

[harriet]

first or second? and she may have to play deciding dubs later

[cazza99]

But Eurosport have tweeted that it's an internal server problem their end so not sure how IE would make it work? I got a stream to work on Sportlemon.
:confused:


10am Sunday for the rest of the matches.

I was just making a general statement for when something else goes wrong :)

But it is so irritating when you pay for something then it doesn't work. Might be worth keeping Eurosoort player for the French Open though as you get lots of courts and the picture is usually good.

[Sallydaisy]

Harriet is Channel 411 on TV and is that where you were watching the tennis?

channel 411, eurosport 2 UK

[JAMES4578]

first or second? and she may have to play deciding dubs later

I'd put her on first, considering the doubles situation.

[harriet]

Harriet is Channel 411 on TV and is that where you were watching the tennis?
no, eurosport player on my desktop. and tomorrow it will be on channel 410, at 10am

[Sallydaisy]

no, eurosport player on my desktop. and tomorrow it will be on channel 410, at 10am

It's the Channel number bit that I'm now finding confusing because there don't appear to be any Channel numbers to choose from on the version of eurosportplayer that I'm viewing and I presume it's the same one? I can only see that Fed Cup is scheduled at 10am on British Eurosport tomorrow morning. Where should I be seeing the 410 bit?

[JAMES4578]

It turns out Heather has a slight foot injury, so she definitely can't play the singles.

[harriet]

hi sallydaisy, don't know where i saw the channel number, but at least you can see fed cup listed tomorrow, and hopefully you wll be able to watch. i used the pop out player, handy for posting on this site.

[harriet]

shame heather is a bit hurt, esp if a decider is called for

[Sallydaisy]

hi sallydaisy, don't know where i saw the channel number, but at least you can see fed cup listed tomorrow, and hopefully you wll be able to watch. i used the pop out player, handy for posting on this site.

I looked it up. Eurosport is viewable via Satellite channels 410, 411 and 412 from Sky.
So, that seems to be the Satallite TV options rather than Eurosportplayer via the internet.
Weird that it worked for you on your desktop but others had trouble.

Cazza - I just tried using IE to BES2 to work and got exactly the same problem/message "internal server error".

Perhaps it's OK in certain parts of the country but not others?
PatM is in Cornwall, Steven is south of London, I'm near Heathrow and Michelle is near Chester. Not idea where SamP lives but that's quite a bunch of people having trouble.

[SamP]

I live near Newcastle. Gave up trying to get Eurosport player about half two. Not had a problem with them before, but today was useless.

Real shame about the results, don't think we'll get a better chance to get into the World Group again for some time, but Sweden are obviously dealing with the dead court better than we are. Bring in Robbo tomorrow, see what she can do.

[david1610]

Oh dear. Tricky one. If Heather has a slight foot injury I might consider putting Laura in first match. Tricky tricky. And Arvidsson is a bit of a doubles specialist, isn't she?

[patmoren]

Sounds very much that the Eurosport server managing the Eurosport 2 feed was down. They should have been able to sort it out during the day yesterday but I tried until the end with no luck. Lets hope they pulled the stops out to get it sorted for today. I have already got one free month from them because they didn't validate my account initially, not at all impressed with Eurosport UK

[harriet]

well, it is laura in first match today. eurosport player working for me. laura will be playing sofia arvidsson

[harriet]

lost serve in first game, just over the lines, but looking v calm, composed

[harriet]

alas, broken to love, a df and long again. sofia to serve at 3-0.
anyone there? are you all able to watch the game?

[harriet]

good hold there, attempt to serrve and volley, failed, and a df, but held to 30

[harriet]

oh well done, 3 aces to get to deuce and win.

[Sallydaisy]

Well done Laura - 3 Aces in a row to stay in the set but Arvidsson will come out to serve for the first set at 5'2 up. However, I think Laura is perhaps now getting the better of her nerves which I think affected her in the first few games. If she could start to rattle Sofia she might get somewhere.

[Sallydaisy]

Ha! Laura broke Arvi to stay in the set and serving at *3-5.

Unfortunately, she then went *0-40 down giving Sweden 3 set points.
Has clung on to bring it back to deuce.

A hold here and Arvi will have to serve it out at 5-4 - could she be rattled now?

Good on ya Laura Robson - very good hold there!!!

[harriet]

KITKAT and sensational hold from 0-40, sofia now at 5-4, second attempt for the set

[-J-]

she saved a couple set points now the turnip has to serve for the set

[harriet]

well that turnip was a proper swede and served it out.

[-J-]

think laura might be distracted by the amount of bouncing that swedish girl is doing, well its distracting me :p

[Alis]

Well done Laura for sticking in in the first set - now c'mon on. You can take the second - and the third!

[harriet]

so nearly a kitkat, but solid serve hold, sofia now at 1-2

[Sallydaisy]

Keep on hustling Laura!!!
Push for a break - c'mon!!!

[Sallydaisy]

2 fantastic returns from Laura set up break points.
Arvidsson not running enough and it's GAME ON!!!

Laura serving at *3-1 with the break.

[harriet]

KITKAT!!!! go laura, serving at 3-1

[-J-]

kitkat:boogie:

[Sallydaisy]

Love game for 4-1; c'mon Laura!!!

[harriet]

and laura holds to love, sofia now at 1-4

[JAMES4578]

Such a change in momentum,Laura just has to keep it going! Pity about the slow start in the 1st, she very nearly came back there!

[harriet]

KITKAT laura to serve at 5-1

[Sallydaisy]

OK Laura - a nice easy service hold is needed now!!!
Don't let her back in ...

[-J-]

getttttinnnnnn

[harriet]

and laura makes it, breadstick for the swedes. c'mon laura, more kitkats

[Sallydaisy]

:clap:

2nd set GBR and Laura has got Arvi on the run!!!
Trouble is the Swede has more experience under her belt and she'll no doubt really gun for it in this 3rd set.

Come on Laura!!!
:swingin::swingin::swingin:

[harriet]

sofia has woken up, but gutsy hold by laura, serving now at 1-2

[Sallydaisy]

Well done Laura - Arvi is trying to break her but our Brit is gritting it out.

[harriet]

sweet hold, sofia at 2-2, stirling guys doing their utmost

[-J-]

swede holding well now, gonna be nervy :sofa:

[harriet]

broken alas, so sofia now at 4-2

[JAMES4578]

Laura got a bit tight there unfortunately. Now has 2nd bp though, come on!

[Sallydaisy]

Deuce - just didn't play that break point so well but keep it going Laura!!! Arvi looking nervous!!!

And that's another break point.

[harriet]

but alas, laura cdn't quite do it, so she serves now at 2-5

[JAMES4578]

A pity, Laura with it all to do now- come on!

[Sallydaisy]

Laura working hard to stay in the match/tie but the Swede has another bp.

[Sallydaisy]

7th deuce and Laura saves the 4th tie point.

[-J-]

sheer guts

[hfwardhouse]

:yahoo: Laura holds - now can Sofia serve it out?

[harriet]

16minute game! and laura holds. sofia at 5-3 for the match

[JAMES4578]

Marathon game but Laura so gutsy in saving 6 mps! now 30-0 for Sofia though, come on!

[Sallydaisy]

Just saw a Swedish fan with yellow top and Union Jack hat - confused much.

[Sallydaisy]

3 tie points to Sweden - Laura looking tired now.

[Sallydaisy]

What a return ....... so good down the line!

[hfwardhouse]

Gutted for Laura - she played a blinder.

[-J-]

good performance from robbo she should be proud

[Sallydaisy]

Poor Laura - she's devastated at not winning but it was an incredibly gutsy performance from her in her first Fed Cup match and she's still only 18. She's done GB and her team proud - t'was a good call from Judy to put her in to bat 'cos I think Bally is still match rusty after her injury time off tbh.

I hope she partners Andy at the Olympics - that left/right serve combo would be great.

[harriet]

laura in tears, judy, anne and elena gatherred round her. terrific game, such a natural attacking player

[JAMES4578]

That was an incredible from Laura to try and stay in the match, but ultimately just not enough as Sofia just edged it. All credit to her in her first singles match in the Fed Cup, it really was a gutsy effort. Judy was right to give her the chance as I think Elena wasn't in the best form. Might be disappointing now but should bode well for the futuue. Just a pity we didn't win one of the matches yesterday.

[Alis]

Agree with all that James - fantastic effort from Laura in her first singles tie.

[david1610]

Oh well... in the long run the experience today may help victory in the future!

[Sallydaisy]

Summary
The 2 top players from each country are fairly evenly matched but beyond that Sweden is lacking with their 3rd ranked player down at #488. Larsson and Arvidsson WERE the Swedish team and would have had to play the doubles if it reached 2-2 after the singles. So, it was vital for them to try and win it on the singles and not have to play 2 matches each on the last day.

Bally, our top-ranked player, is only just back from an injury time out so hasn't had much practice recently and that probably worked against her. AnneK couldn't keep pace with Arvidsson who played very well indeed.

Unfortunately, neither Elena nor Anne could post a win on Day 1 which might have given us a fighting chance of winning the tie. Of all the Brits Laura Robson produced the best performance but the 18yr old couldn't quite match the experience brought to the match by Arvidsson.

Day 1
Larsson d Baltacha - 6'1, 7'5
Arvidsson d Keothavong - 6'1, 6'4

Day 2
Arvidsson WR53 d Robson WR121 - 6'4, 1'6, 6'3

Sweden win 3-0.

The remaining rubbers are being played but not televised.
Larsson v Keothavong - match in progress
Arvidsson/Larsson v Watson/Robson

SWEDISH TEAM
Arvidsson WR53
Larsson WR70
(not in team)
Melander WR488
Hamlin WR862

BRITISH TEAM
Baltacha WR63
Keothavong WR79
Watson WR115
Robson WR121

[Jan]

just home. Looks like a good effort from Laura. Will catch up later after lunch!

[harriet]

is there any LS for this?

[Sallydaisy]

AnneK v Larsson is into a tie-break as there were no breaks of serve.
Anne up a break at 3-1, Johanna to serve.

There is no TV coverage of the dead rubbers but Livescore is working here
http://live.fedcup.com/livescore.aspx?lang=en&tid=100017592

[Sallydaisy]

Argh! AnneK had 3 set points at *6'3 but Larsson has pegged her back to 6 all in the TB.

And now has a set point for Sweden ..... breaks AnneK to take it 8-6.
1-0 Sweden 7'6(6)
:sad:

[harriet]

so,apart from the tb, anne was winning

[harriet]

and now, rats, larsson has got a break - 3-2

[harriet]

kitkat anne, don't know what happened next, but larsson now serving at 3-4

[Sallydaisy]

Anne took the 2nd set 6'3. Hope we can win this rubber and the doubles to avoid a whitewash.

[JAMES4578]

Fab for Anne, let's hope she can keep it going!

[harriet]

dinner time for me, but anne won that set 6-3, larsson serving first in 3rd

[JAMES4578]

Unfortunately Anne's down 2-0 in the 3rd,come on!

[harriet]

anne serving at 1-4, long way to come back

[JAMES4578]

anne serving at 1-4, long way to come back

My ls must be behind, i'm still at 3-1. closed it and loaded again as refreshing made no difference,Anne serving at 2-5 unfortunately.

[Sallydaisy]

Anne serving to stay in it at 2-5 in the 3rd set.

[harriet]

larsson now for the tie, at 5--3

[harriet]

wow, kitkat for anne! she'll serve at 4-5

[harriet]

and alas she couldn't hold her serve, so larsson wins 6-4, and didn't have to serve for it

[harriet]

wonder what will happen now? dubs or not?

[JAMES4578]

What a pity, that's two tight matches we've lost today. Though of course it was academic would've been good to have a point on the board going into the doubles.

[Sallydaisy]

The doubles match is up on livescore - probably good for the 2 young Brits to play it and maybe post a win?

[hfwardhouse]

I see Laura's not playing the dubs - she picked up a slight injury in her match so Bally's playing with Hev

[Sallydaisy]

I see Laura's not playing the dubs - she picked up a slight injury in her match so Bally's playing with Hev
Might be for the best.
I have to leave shortly so won't be able to follow this one.
I hope our girls can win - they surely should against 2 opponents so much lower ranked!

[JAMES4578]

Might be for the best.
I have to leave shortly so won't be able to follow this one.
I hope our girls can win - the Swedes must be feeling tired whereas Hev and Bally are rested.

Yes, let's hope we can get a point on the board! Pity Laura can't play but Bally should be fired up for this with Heather. Not the best start though, 2-0 down.

[Jan]

Glad Laura put up a good fight; hope all the team will be able to pick themselves up from this. After the heroics to get here in the first place it was a match too far, but good experience, especially for Laura and Heather.

[Jan]

doubles is into a tb in the first set

[harriet]

tie break end to first set

[Jan]

Hev/Bally have mb

and they take the tb 7-3 :clap:

[harriet]

yesssss! first set 7-6 (3) and serve first next set

[JAMES4578]

Great news, let's hope they can keep the momentum going!

[Jan]

*2-0 in the 2nd!

[harriet]

pressing hard but no second break, serving at 3-1

[harriet]

easy hold for 4-1

[JAMES4578]

4-1 now, hopefully well on their way. Come on Elena and Heather!

[Jan]

serving for it at *5-1

[harriet]

long game, but another break, serving for the tie at 5-1

[Jan]

they win 7-6 6-1
Some pride salvaged - well done girls

[harriet]

and they win, 7-6, 6-1. nice for everyone to get a run out

[JAMES4578]

Yes they ran away with the 2nd, a good win after the disappontments earlier.

[Alis]

Such a pity - those two tight singles today could so easily have gone the other way.

[david1610]

The doubles win was important, dead rubber or not. Heather with another Fed Cup win.
Oh well, augurs well for when the young Brits are well placed inside the top 100, preferably top 50.

[cazza99]

BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17803849) - Fed Cup: Battling Laura Robson unable to deny Sweden win

BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17811779) - Elena Baltacha: GB's Fed Cup loss in Sweden is hard to take

[cazza99]

Steven ‏ @GBtennis

GB up another 2 places to 18 in the #FedCup rankings :-) http://bit.ly/I90ddq (no extra points but pts coming off see CAN & SLO drop behind)

[cazza99]

Tennis Space (http://www.thetennisspace.com/on-court/judy-murrays-team-of-very-gorgeous-fun-girls/)- Judy Murray's team of "very gorgeous, fun girls"