Been following the live commentary, it's very good. Almost as good as watching it!

Extremely Fluffy Fluffy Thing posted:

Been following the live commentary, it's very good. Almost as good as watching it!

@Extremely Fluffy Fluffy Thing you can watch the matches live via the British Tennis Facebook page:
https://en-gb.facebook.com/britishtennislta/

Johanna Konta won her match 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and Harriet Dart and Katie Swan won the doubles 6-1, 6-4.

Today it's GB v Hungary. Whichever country comes out top will go through to tomorrow's. GB will be favourites but Hungary is stronger than Slovenia or Greece. Timea Babos isn't in the Hungarian team and will improve GB's chances as she's the world number 1 in doubles.

By the way, one of the commentators on the matches on that Facebook page is Laura Robson.

Today's matches. First up is Katie Boulter v Dalma Galfi
Then Johanna Konta v Anna Bondar
Lastly doubles Harriet Dart & Katie Swan v Dalma Galfi & Reka-Luca Jani.

El Loro posted:

By the way, one of the commentators on the matches on that Facebook page is Laura Robson.

Purely a personal thing, but I won't touch FB with a bargepole!

Extremely Fluffy Fluffy Thing posted:

El Loro posted:

By the way, one of the commentators on the matches on that Facebook page is Laura Robson.

Purely a personal thing, but I won't touch FB with a bargepole!

Neither would I. You don't need to sign in or be a member of Facebook to be able to watch the matches though.

Both of yesterday's singles matches went the distance. Eventually Katie Boulter won her match 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-1) as did Johanna Konta 6-2 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-4). The doubles match wasn't needed as a result.

GB faces Serbia today. The two teams are fairly close in the rankings.

Today's matches against Serbia. First Katie Boulter against Ivana Jorovic. Then Johanna Konta against Aleksandra Krunic. Doubles Harriet Dart & Katie Swan against Olga Danlovic & Aleksandra Krunic.

First set to Katie Boulter 6-4.

And second set to Katie Boulter 6-3 so first rubber to GB

Next up Johanna Konta.

Although the doubles is pencilled in for Harriet Dart & Katie Swan, it's possible that if Johanna Konta were to lose her match then Katie Boulter could replace one of them in the doubles (presumably Katie Swan as her doubles ranking is 610 compared to Harriet Dart 109 though Katie's ranking isn't that much better at 442). Johanna Konta's doubles ranking is 110 though.

Johanna Konta was able to win her match 7-6 (7-1) 3-6 6-2 despite feeling unwell during it and between the 2nd & 3rd sets was seen lying on the floor and was helped to get back on her feet.

The doubles match wasn't required.

So GB through to the promotion play-offs in April.

The doubles matches in the round robin round get played as the placings are based on the number of games won. Once it progresses to the knock out stages that ceases to be relevant so the doubles don't always get played.

I think GB's opponents in April will be one of Italy, Slovakia, Japan (GB's opponents in the play offs last year), Netherlands, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Draw for April's play-offs to be made today:
Russia (seeded 1)  (ranking 13)
Netherlands (seeded 2) (ranking 14)
GB (seeded 3) (ranking up 3 places to 15)
Slovakia (seeded 4) (ranking 16)
Japan (ranking 17)
Italy (ranking 18)
Kazakhstan (ranking 19)
Brazil (ranking 21)

GB will be hoping for another home tie.

GB will be pleased as they have another home tie so will be able to choose where they play  Their opponents are Kazakhstan.
Matches take place on April 20th and 21st - best of 5 rubbers, 2 singles, 1 doubles, then 2 reverse singles.

Kazakhstan's likely players are for the singles Yulia Putintseva (currently ranked 43) and Zarina Diyas (96) and for the doubles Anna Davlina (doubles ranking 147) and Galina Voskoboeva (65).

Venue yet to be decided, may be the Copper Box Arena in London. Unlikely to be on clay courts as those are Yulia Putintseva's favourite.

Laura Robson has resumed playing tennis after an 8 month absence due to injury and recovering from a hip operation. ITF events for the time being as she gets back into things. Hopefully she'll be able to continue without more setbacks. She's 25 so there's still time.

Confirmed that the Fed Cup World Group II playoff between GB and Kazakhstan will be at the Copper Box in London on 20th and 21st of April.

As a result of Johanna Konta winning all her matches in the Fed Cup round in February even though near collapse in one of the matches she has been awarded a Fed Cup Heart Award - the $1,000 award goes to a charity of her choosing.

The same five players, Johanna Konta, Katie Boulter, Heather Watson, Harriet Dart and Katie Swan, have been named for the Fed Cup World Group II playoff against Kazakhstan in London on the 20th and 21st. If GB win, they will be back in the World Group II for the first time since 1993.

The format of the playoffs during the weekend is two singles on Saturday. Then on Sunday, the two reverse singles though if one country wins both Saturday's singles and the first reverse singles on Sunday the second reverse singles isn't played. The doubles match is after these and gets played whether ot not it's a deciding match.

GB's singles players are likely to be Johanna Konta and Katie Boulter, Kazakshtan's Yulia Putintseva and Zarina Diyas. The doubles players could depend as to whether it's a deciding or dead match. Heather Watson is GB's strongest doubles player, Harriet Dart and Johanna Konta fairly close to each other in doubles rankings. Kazakhstan's doubles players probably Anna Danilina and Galina Voskoboeva (who is a doubles specialist and on a par with Heather Watson).

The Fed Cup schedule for the weekend is as I expected.
Today the first singles is Johanna Konta v Zarina Diyas and the second is Katie Boulter v Yulia Putintseva (the toughest match of the weekend for GB).
Tomorrow it's Johanna Konta v Yulia Putintseva followed potentially by Katie Boulter v Zarina Diyas.
The last match is the doubles Heather Watson & Harriet Dart v Anna Danilina & Galina Voskoboeva.

Start times are 13.30 today and 12.00 tomorrow.

Coverage of the Fed Cup is on BT Sport 3 and the LTA's Facebook page.

With Johanna Konta winning and Katie Boulter losing yesterday, both reverse singles and the doubles will be played today.

Good news with Johanna Konta fighting back against Yulia Putintseva in today's first singles to win after 3 sets

That means that GB only need to win the second singles or the doubles to qualify for the World Gtoup II next season.

El Loro posted:

Good news with Johanna Konta fighting back against Yulia Putintseva in today's first singles to win after 3 sets

That means that GB only need to win the second singles or the doubles to qualify for the World Gtoup II next season.

And Katie Boulter has beaten Zarina Diyas in 3 sets which means that GB are promoted to the World Group II for the first time in 26 years

Although Heather Watson hasn't played any of the Fed Cup singles this year she does have a significant effect on the GB team in creating team work.

Johanna Konta through to the semi-finals of the Morocco Open - it's the first time on clay-court that she's got through to a semi-final. The Open takes place on Rabat and is the only WTA tournament which takes place in Africa.

And goes one stage further - she's now through to the final.

Johanna Konta lost that final. She's through to the second round of the Italian Open.

Katie Boulter is currently out of action with a back injury and has already withdrawn from the French Open.

Heather Watson has been playing in the second tier tournaments in Japan. Lost in the first round in Gifu but has done a lot better in her latest tournament in Japan winning both the singles and doubles titles, This means that she's now just ahead of Katie Boulter in the singles rankings and remains the highest ranked British player in the doubles at 57.

Johanna Konta has beaten Sloane Stephens (the world number 8) in the second round of the Italian Open - she next faces Venus Williams. Rain wiped out play yesterday meaning that today is a double schedule with that next match due to be played some time later today which benefits Venus who played her second round match on Tuesday.

But Johanna Konta has beaten Venus Williams in two sets to get to the quarterfinals - her opponent not yet known either Marketa Vondrousova or Daria Kasatkina.

And Johanna Konta through to the semi finals beating Marketa Vondrousova over 3 sets. She's against Kiki Bertens.

After the Grand Slam events and the Premier Mandatory events, the Italian Open is one of the events just below those. At that level of event, Johanna Konta's run of wins at that tournament is the best by any British player for a long time (best so far this year and throughout 2018). So her ranking has already improved to around 32 once the next set's issued.

And today even better, Johanna Konta has beaten Kiki Bertens, the world number 4, in 3 sets to get to the final. Her ranking improves to around 26 (if she were to win the final around 21).

It's the first time since Wimbledon 2017 that Johanna Konta has beaten a player in the top 5. It's also the first time that a British woman has got through to the Italian final since Virginia Wade in 1971.

Sadly, Johanna Konta was beaten in the final by Karolina Pliskova, the world number 7 in straight sets.

The French Open qualifying rounds at Roland Garros are from today to Friday.  12 groups of 8 over 3 rounds with the winner of each group through to the main draw. British players are Heather Watson and Katie Swan. Their first round matches look as if they are played tomorrow. Johanna Konta is one of the seeds in the main draw.

Well done Johanna, not having to go through the qualifiers!