Argentina switch to Cordoba for Kazakhstan visit

Argentina’s home clash with Kazakhstan in the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Play-offs will now take place on the clay of the Cordoba Lawn Tennis Club.

The contest, which had originally been scheduled for 17-18 April 2020 was initially postponed until 5-6 February 2021 in response to Covid-19 health concerns, but will now be played on 16-17 April.

Argentina had previously elected to play Kazakhstan in Buenos Aires, but the tie will now take place in the northern city of Cordoba.

It is the first time since April 2015 that Billie Jean King Cup – then known as Fed Cup – action will be contested in Argentina, the last encounter being a World Group II showdown which saw Spain brush aside their hosts 4-0.

It is necessary to delve further into the history books to recall the previous occasion the competition was on the roster at the Cordoba Lawn Tennis Club. That was a World Group II play-off between Argentina and Canada back in 2007.

The April encounter will be the first clash between the two nations in the women’s world cup of tennis, with Argentina entering the showdown in a rich vein of form having won all four of their ties at the Group I event in Chile in February.

Argentina, who reached the semi-finals of the competition in 1986 and 1993, overcame Mexico, hosts Chile, Peru and Colombia and in total will be bidding to record their sixth successive Billie Jean King Cup victory.

Kazakhstan, meanwhile, will look to regain their spot in the competition’s Qualifiers after losing to Belgium in Kortrijk earlier this year – a clash which saw Yulia Putintseva haul the visitors level before thoughts of victory slipped away.

In fact, Kazakhstan are winless in their previous two ties after also falling to Great Britain in a World Group II play-off at the Copper Box Arena in London in April 2019.

The Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs see 16 nations – the eight losers from the 2020 Qualifiers and the eight promoted teams from regional Group I events – go head-to-head in February in a bid to earn a place in the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers in 2022. Those teams will then compete for a place at the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup Finals in 2022.

The Billie Jean King Cup is taking place throughout the 2020-2021 seasons due to the impact of Covid-19, with the competition set to return to its annual format in 2022.