Romania select 'fortress Cluj' for Italy tie

The Billie Jean King Cup Play-off tie between Romania and Italy will be played on an indoor hard court at the Sala Polivalenta in Cluj Napoca.

The venue, which has become synonymous with team tennis, has hosted Romania’s last three ties in the competition, including their most recent loss against Russia in the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers in February last year.

Florin Segarceanu’s team will be desperate to bounce back from that disappointing defeat, which saw them miss out on a place in the inaugural Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Romania and Italy might have met three times before in the competition, with Italy winning twice, but they haven’t faced off since 1997.

And certainly, where Italy was the dominant force in women’s team tennis some 10 years ago, it is now Romania who can boast an enviable strength in depth.

The hosts have an impressive five players ranked inside the Top 100, including none other than world No. 2 and home-town favourite Simona Halep.

Italy, meanwhile, have three players inside the Top 100, the highest-ranked of whom is world No. 79 Camila Giorgi.

In fact, the Italians find themselves in the Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs having won promotion from Europe/Africa Group I in February last year – the first time they had competed at that level of the competition since 1997.

Both teams will be vying for a spot in the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers, from which point they can win a place in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The loser of the Play-off tie will compete in Europe/Africa Group I next year.

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.