Belgium, Spain eves look to end US reign

The women8217;s team tennis crown will be decided here on Friday and Saturday on a fast indoor surface between the winners of semi-final ties matching the Czech Republic against Spain on Tuesday and Belgium against the US team Wednesday.

8220;They are favoured because they8217;re playing at home and they play well on this surface,8221; Martinez said of the hosts. 8220;It8217;s always tough to play this surface. It8217;s pretty fast. I like clay and outdoors. That8217;s a big advantage for them.8221;

Belgian veteran Dominique Van Roost, retiring after the event, likes her team8217;s chance of dethroning the US team and reaching its first Fed Cup final.

8220;I8217;m very happy to end my career at the Fed Cup. It8217;s superb moment,8221; she said. 8220;A new generation has arrived. There is a great age diffrence but the girls have brought a new energy. They don8217;t have a lot of presure on them.8221;

The Americans will try to extend their record title total to 17. The Spanish seek their sixth title in 10 years.

8220;It8217;s similar to when you play a Grand Slam,8221; Sanchez said. 8220;Only it8217;s not just for yourself. It means a lot for our country.8221;

US Open and Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and her sister Serena are out with injuries, denying the hosts much-marketed singles stars as well as an Olympic and Grand Slam champion doubles duo.

8220;It doesn8217;t matter who the Americans send to play. They have so many good players,8221; Sanchez said. 8220;Definitely the Williams sisters are great. But I don8217;t think they only have to depend on them. Lindsay and Monica are very good.8221;

Seles is coming off a finals loss to Martina Hingis on Sunday at the WTA Championships in New York and Davenport won two weeks ago at Philadelphia.

8220;Seles is playing great and Lindsay is a great player,8221; Martinez said.

Both Spaniards have winning ledgers against Davenport but she is 18-2 in Fed Cup singles play and Seles is 18-1 against Martinez and 19-3 against Sanchez.

8220;She had a good run at New York. That8217;s going to give her confidence to play well,8221; Sanchez said. 8220;They8217;re favourites, have top players, play at home, are defending champions. They have much more pressure. That helps Conchita and I.8221;

In semi-final pairings made yesterday, No 9 Sanchez opens against 54th-rated Czech Daja Bedanova with No 5 Martinez following against 47th-ranked Kveta Hrdlickova. The same four are matched in the concluding doubles match.

Martinez beat Hrdlickova 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 in 1998 at Warsaw on clay in their only prior match. Sanchez and Bedanova are playing for the first time.