Daniela Hantuchova will enter a must-win match against Petra Kvitova in the Fed Cup on Sunday

Hantuchova will lead the Slovak Republic’s charge on Sunday, as they aim to overturn a 2-0 deficit from Saturday’s matches. Hantuchova started the weekend badly, falling 7-5, 6-1 to Lucie Safarova. Her team mate, Dominika Cibulkova, fared no better, crashing to a 6-2, 6-3 defeat against Petra Kvitova. If Hantuchova loses this match, the Czech Republic will be able to celebrate an early victory.

This will be the first major competitive meeting between Kvitova and Hantuchova, making it difficult to make too many predictions about the outcome of the match. It might be worth noting that Kvitova, the world No.18, appears to be the more confident player at the moment. Despite this, Hantuchova enters this match knowing that she needs to provide a win for her team. She should be motivated and ready to take the game to her opponent.

Should Hantuchova succeed, Cibulkova will have the chance to level the score against Safarova. If Safarova also wins, the tie will be decided by a doubles match between the pairings of Hantuchova and Magdalena Rybarikova, and Kveta Peschke and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. Whilst the victory isn’t out of the Slovak Republic’s grasp just yet, their chances of success currently appear to be very slim.