Black Tennis Pros

It was 1980 when the USA produced one of the biggest sporting shocks of all time, the so called "Miracle on Ice" when the U.S. ice hockey team, largely made of up of collegiate and amateur players, pulled off a 4-3 semifinal win on their way to the gold medal at the winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

Victory here in Moscow in this Fed Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal wouldn't top that achievement, but it wouldn't be too far off. Such was the surprise back then a movie was made of the feat, one that U.S. Captain Zina Garrison admitted to being one of her favourites of all time.

Whether or not they can draw any kind of inspiration from that remains to be seen but it’s the Russians that will begin this tie as firm favourites to reach a fourth Fed Cup final in five years.

Without either Williams sister or Lindsay Davenport, who fell ill whilst playing in Charleston last week, the opening tie will pit World No. 115 Vania King up against Russia's No. 2 singles player Anna Chakvetadze. Second up Ahsha Rolle, who is making her debut in the competition, faces the daunting task of meeting Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The full schedule for the weekend is as follows:

Saturday
Vania King, USA vs. Anna Chakvetadze RUS
Ahsha Rolle, USA vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS

Sunday
Vania King, USA vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS
Ahsha Rolle, USA vs. Anna Chakvetadze RUS
Liezel Huber/Vania King USA vs. Elena Vesnina/Vera Zvonareva RUS