US Open Finalist Karolina Pliskova Leads Czech Republic
in Attempt to Capture its Fifth Title in Six Years
Tennis Channel will have exclusive, live coverage of the 2016 Fed Cup championship between the Czech Republic and France in Strasbourg, France, this weekend, with comprehensive telecasts Saturday, Nov. 12, and Sunday, Nov. 13. US Open finalist and World No. 6 Karolina Pliskova will lead two-time defending champion Czech Republic as it attempts to capture its fifth title in six years. Pliskova will face France’s top-ranked Caroline Garcia for the first time after having lost to her at the Madrid Open in Madrid, Spain, last year. However, that match was played on clay while this match will be played on an indoor hard court.
The network’s Fed Cup telecast will be part of Tennis Channel’s world-whiparound coverage this weekend, which will include live matches at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London at the same time. Viewers can also catch Fed Cup matches in their entirety on Tennis Channel Plus, the digital subscription service available to everyone in the United States, regardless of whether they currently subscribe to the television network.
The year-ending championship competition between the Czech Republic and France will consist of two singles matches on Saturday, and two singles matches and a doubles match Sunday. Tennis Channel’s coverage will begin at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday and 7:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.
The Czech Republic and France have faced each other six times in Fed Cup play, with the nations tied at three wins apiece. The Czech team’s most recent victory over the French came last year when it won 3-1 in the semifinal before eventually winning in the Fed Cup championship. The Czech Republic holds nine Fed Cup titles and is the second-most successful nation on the all-time list of Fed Cup champions, behind only the United States (17).
Tennis Channel’s Los Angeles studio will be the central hub for all 2016 Fed Cup championship action this weekend. Award-winning sportscaster Mary Carillo will call the matches, alongside Hall of Famer and former U.S. Fed Cup player Tracy Austin (@thetracyaustin).(who is fabulous as a TV tennis commentator !!!) During Austin’s Fed Cup career, she contributed to U.S. team championships from 1978-1980.
Tennis Channel’s live Fed Cup Final coverage is as follows (all time ET):
Saturday, Nov. 12:
8a.m. -Singles #1 (followed by Singles #2)
Sunday, Nov. 13:
7:30a.m. -Singles #3 (followed by Singles #4 and Doubles)
The Czech Republic enters this weekend’s championship after an impressive 3-2 semifinal victory over Switzerland in Lucerne, Switzerland. Two-time defending Fed Cup titlist Czech Republic has not lost a final since 1986, when it competed as Czechoslovakia. The Czech team is captained by Petr Pala and features Pliskova, two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, Barbora Strycova and Lucie Hradecka.
France earned its spot in this weekend’s match-up after a 3-2 victory over Netherlands in its semifinal round, and is in its first final since 2005. The French were crowned Fed Cup champions in both 1997 and 2003. France’s captain Amelie Mauresmo will lead the same quartet that defeated the Netherlands: Garcia, Alize Cornet, Kristina Mladenovic and Pauline Parmentier.
Topics: 10sballs.com, Czech Republic, Fed Cup, France, Sports, Tennis, Tennis Channel