Fed Cup Final 2019 Odds and Pick: Australia vs France
- Fed Cup Finals taking place Saturday, November 9th and 10th at 10:00 pm EST
- Australia leads France 5-1 head-to-head
- Australian Ashleigh Barty is undefeated in six Fed Cup matches this year
Australia will have the hometown support taking on France at the RAC Arena in Perth for the Fed Cup Final on November 9th and 10th at 10:00 pm EST.
Two singles matches will be played on Saturday, November 9th followed by two more singles matches and one doubles match on Sunday, November 10th.
Overall, the Fed Cup format awards one point for each singles match and the lone doubles match. The first country to get to three points will earn the Fed Cup Championship.
Perth has hosted four Fed Cup ties over the history of the competition (1970, 1995, 1998 and 2009).
2019 Fed Cup Final Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Australia | -150 |
| France | +120 |
Odds taken Nov. 5.
Australia and France have played a total of six times in Fed Cup history, with this being Australia’s first Fed Cup final since 1993. Australia last won the event, previously known as the Federation Cup, in Italy in 1974. France won the Fed Cup in both 1997 and 2003 and were runners up in 2004, 2005 and 2016.
1️⃣0️⃣8️⃣ nations entered, only 2️⃣ remain ?? ??
Just 5️⃣ days until the Fed Cup final! ?
Who will you be rooting for? ?#TousEnsemBleu #GoAussies pic.twitter.com/9OlsB86dcE
— Fed Cup (@FedCup) November 4, 2019
Although Australia leads France 5-1 in all-time head-to-head Fed Cup matchups, they lost 2-1 to the French when they last played in 2000.
Last year, the Czech Republic won their 11th Fed Cup title in Prague. The United States has the overall most titles with 18.
Past Fed Cup Final Winners
| Year | Venue | Champion | Score | Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 02 Arena, Prague (CZE) | Czech Republic | 3-0 | USA |
| 2017 | Belarus Chizhovka Arena, Minsk, (BLR) | USA | 3-2 | Belarus |
| 2016 | Rhenus Sport, Strasbourg, (FRA) | Czech Republic | 3-2 | France |
How Did Australia Get Here?
The Aussies had quite the journey getting to the finals, beating out the United States of America and Belarus, with each matchup coming down to the doubles match.
Against the USA, world no. 1 Ashleigh Barty paired with Priscilla Hon, who was making her first Fed Cup appearance. The Aussie duo took out Danielle Collins and Nicole Melichar, winning 6-4, 7-5.
.@ashbarty has had a career year, now she has one more mission to complete before 2019 comes to a close –> https://t.co/6xgptk7MeY pic.twitter.com/vk3rrJh8IC
— wta (@WTA) November 5, 2019
After this victory, Australia took on Belarus in Brisbane in the semifinal round. This time, Barty teamed with 2011 US Open Champion Samantha Stosur, winning the deciding doubles match 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.
Barty is undefeated in six Fed Cup matches this year, including four singles matches and two doubles.
As she did in Australia’s first round and semifinal, Barty will likely play two singles matches and the doubles if necessary, probably with veteran Samantha Stosur.
How Did France Get Here?
France earned a 3-1 win over Belgium to advance to the semifinal match where they took on Romania.
In a very exciting tiebreaker, France’s Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic battled Romania’s Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu. France’s duo eventually emerged victorious with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win. Each of the Sunday matches went three sets.
✅ Newly-minted WTA champions
✅ Roland Garros silverware
✅ Leading their nations in the Fed Cup FinalGet the lowdown on @KikiMladenovic ?? & @ashbarty ?? as they prepare to battle it out at the #FedCupFinal
Full ➡️ https://t.co/KCM41Y7ACU#TousEnsemBleu #GoAussies pic.twitter.com/NGiEWgyy1G
— Fed Cup (@FedCup) November 4, 2019
Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia will again lead the French in Perth this weekend.
The pair will be joined by Alize Cornet, Fiona Ferro and Pauline Parmentier.
Mladenovic is ranked 39th in the world and has made semifinal appearances in WTA events in both Zhengzhou and Moscow earlier this year.
Caroline Garcia is 4-1 in 2019 Fed Cup matches going into the finals.
Best Bet
Look for Australia to finally end the 26-year drought. With the home country support, the squad will also be boosted by Ajla Tomljanovic, another top 50 ranked player in the world. These two factors and the fact that their ace, Ashleigh Barty, is in top form will make it very difficult for a very good French team.
Having not won the Fed Cup title since 1974 gives them added motivation. Australia will be going for their eighth overall Fed Cup title and although they lost to France the last time they played, Australia owns the overall head to head record 5-1.
World no. 1 and French Open Champion, Ashleigh Barty is the first player in history to win six straight World Group matches on the road to the final in the current Fed Cup format and she has not lost a Fed Cup match since February 2017.
Best Bet: Australia (-150)
An experienced sports journalist, Martha K has written feature stories for CBC and Yahoo Sports, hosted Sauga 960 AM, worked with ESPN production and covered a variety of major events, including the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. She is a former Division 1 tennis athlete.
