Great Britain's Fed Cup team captain Anne Keothavong has named the team who will travel to Miki City in northwestern Kobe, Japan, for the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group II play-offs.
The team features British No.1 Johanna Konta, No.2 Heather Watson, No.4 Gabriella Taylor and doubles star Anna Smith.
Name
|
Age
|
Ranking
|
Ties played
|
| Johanna Konta |
26 |
23 |
18 |
| Heather Watson |
25 |
77 |
30 |
| Gabriella Taylor |
20 |
175 |
0 |
| Anna Smith |
29 |
48 (doubles) |
7 |
The action, taking place on indoor hard courts at the Bourbon Beans Dome, will kickstart next weekend on Saturday 21 through to Sunday 22 April.
Great Britain and Japan have met just twice before in 1972 and 1985, with the Brits claiming victory in each tie. Whilst Japan are bidding to reach the World Group for the first time since 2015, a win for Britain would mean a return to World Group level for the first time since 1993.
Quote from the captain
GB Fed Cup Captain and LTA Senior National Coach Anne Keothavong said: “I am delighted to name our strongest possible team travelling to Japan for the World Group II play-offs. We have been so close since 2012 and hopefully the fourth will be a charm. Fed Cup is a unique privilege to wear your nation’s colours and it’s something I know all of our team takes great pride in.
"Women’s tennis in the UK is at its highest point in over three decades and we now have eight players inside the world’s top 250, led by Johanna and Heather at the very top, who between them have played nearly 60 matches in the competition. Japan will have home support and a very capable team as they also won their zonal group. Our team spirit is second to none and I’m delighted that Fed Cup debutante Gabi Taylor, who has improved her ranking 160 spots in the last four months, will be joining our seasoned doubles expert Anna Smith in our line-up.”
Follow the action
Follow the action live on TV by BT Sport, with radio coverage provided by BBC 5 Live and online coverage via BBC live events platform. Play at the two-day event gets underway on Saturday 21 April 13:00 local time (05:00 BST) and Sunday 22 April 12:00 local time (04:00 BST).
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