The USTA announced that Birmingham, Ala., has been selected as the site for the 2010 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal tie between the United States and Russia, April 24-25. The matches will be played at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena, which will be hosting a Fed Cup event for the first time. The venue also was the site for the 2009 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round tie between the United States and Switzerland.
The event is being organized, staged and promoted by the USTA. Tickets will go on sale to the general public the week of March 8th. For more information, fans can call the U.S. Fed Cup hotline at (888) 334-8782 or visit www.usta.com/fedcup.
"We are very excited to have earned this home tie and are thrilled to choose a community that is rampant in its love for tennis," said U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez, who led the team to the World Group Final last year in her first season as captain. "The city of Birmingham offered the U.S. Davis Cup team tremendous support last year, and we look forward to playing in front of the same enthusiastic and patriotic crowd as we try to reach our second consecutive Fed Cup final."
"After the amazing success of last year's Davis Cup tie, we are excited to once again play host to a prestigious international tennis event," said Birmingham Mayor William Bell. "This continues to legitimize our City's reputation as one of the premier hosts of world-class sporting events. The estimated direct economic impact to the City via tax revenue is $4 million dollars with an estimated overall impact of up to $15 million in sales, lodging and use taxes. We look forward to rolling out the red carpet for tennis enthusiasts around the country and giving them a taste of what Birmingham has to offer."
This semifinal tie will mark the eighth matchup overall between the U.S. and Russia in Fed Cup competition, and the fifth meeting in the semifinals since 1979. The U.S. leads the overall series 4-3, but Russia has won the last three ties between the two countries dating back to the 2005 World Group semifinal. Russia defeated the U.S. 3-2 in the 2007 World Group semifinal in Stowe, Vt., the last time the two teams met on U.S. soil. The U.S. is 34-3 all-time in Fed Cup ties played at home.
"Birmingham is proud to host this prestigious international tennis competition," said Gene Hallman, Executive Director of the Alabama Sports Foundation. "We pledge to extend our very best southern hospitality as we welcome tennis fans from both the U. S. and Russia. We are confident that we can continue to build upon the momentum that was established last year when we hosted a very successful first round Davis Cup tie. The United States Tennis Association is an outstanding partner and we thank them for their confidence in Birmingham."
This will be the first Fed Cup tie ever played in the state of Alabama, making it the 13th state to host the prestigious competition. Last year, the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex hosted the Davis Cup first round tie in which the U.S. defeated Switzerland 4-1, bringing top-level professional tennis back to the city for the first time since the 1994 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. Birmingham also hosted a USTA Pro Circuit men's Challenger from 1991-93 and 1995-2003, as well as a women's $10,000 event from 1983-88.
Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the world's largest annual international women's team competition with 87 countries competing this year. The United States leads all nations with 17 Fed Cup titles – the last coming in 2000 – and is one of eight nations which are competing for the 2010 Fed Cup title as part of the Fed Cup World Group. For more information, including access to player and historical Fed Cup records, please go to www.usta.com/fedcup or www.fedcup.com.
The Tennis Channel will present live daily coverage of the U.S. vs. Russia Fed Cup semifinal.
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