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Tennis event in Hawaii could bring world’s top women players

The U.S. and Poland will meet in a first-round match in World Group II on Feb. 6 and 7 in the women’s team event billed as “The World Cup of Tennis.”

“We’re now on a perfect stage for Fed Cup,” USTA senior director Jeff Ryan said at the press conference Tuesday at the Hawaii Convention Center. “We’re in the midst of an area that loves top-level athletic competition. You also have a very active tennis community — it’s a great recipe.”

The first Fed Cup tie to be played in Hawaii could bring some of the world’s top-ranked players to the state following the Australian Open.

No. 1 Serena Williams and Venus Williams have been regulars on the U.S. Fed Cup roster in recent years. Poland is expected to be led by Agnieszka Radwanska, ranked sixth in the WTA rankings.

The teams have until 10 days before the Fed Cup tie to submit their four-player lineups.

Serena Williams played for the U.S. — led by captain Mary Joe Fernandez — in Fed Cup ties against Argentina and Italy this year. She was joined by Venus in defeating Argentina in February.

Hawaii was awarded the host role based on a bid submitted by the USTA Hawaii Pacific Section and the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

“We’ve wanted to do a Fed Cup or a Davis Cup for a while. … A lot of things have to line up, and one of them that lined up was the Australian Open,” said Ron Romano, executive director of the USTA Hawaii Pacific Section.

The first Grand Slam of 2016 is scheduled for Jan.18-31, and the potential for players to stop in Hawaii on their way back to the mainland enhanced the local bid to host the Fed Cup tie.

The first day of competition, Feb. 6, will feature two singles matches. Two reverse singles matches and a doubles match will conclude the tie on Feb. 7.

Ryan said tickets are scheduled to go on sale to the general public by Dec. 11 and packages are projected to start at $25 per day.

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