Argentina to tackle Perú as Billie Jean King Cup takes off

The Argentine Billie Jean King Cup team will make its debut at the international tournament’s Americas Zone on Wednesday, when they take on Perú as part of the Group Americas I. The team, captained by a former doubles world No. 1 and eight-time Grand Slam champion, Paola Suárez, aims to return to the Qualifiers Playoffs at the end of the year, where they’ll bid for a spot among the main contenders for next year. Set to be played at the Parque de Raquetas in Ibagué, Colombia, the event will feature eight teams from the Americas, divided into two groups. Argentina will be in Group A alongside Brazil, Chile, and Peru. Group B will feature Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Each team will take on its group’s competitors in a best-of-three matchup consisting of two singles matches and a doubles match. After that, the top two teams will face the second-placed from the other group to advance to the Playoffs, to be held in November. The 3rd and 4th-place teams will compete to avoid relegation to Group Americas II. The Argentine team is composed of Luisina Giovannini (world No. 201), Julia Riera (203), Martina Capurro (329), Nicole Fossa Huergo (445) and Carla Markus (472). “I felt really good during practice,” said Riera, who’s fresh of reaching the quarterfinals at the Bogotá WTA250 tournament. “The court is slower than in Bogotá because of the lower altitude, but it’s also hotter and more humid. We’ll have to adapt and go out there and compete under whatever conditions we face.” The debut of Fossa Huergo The series will also be the debut for Fossa Huergo, who was born in Italy to Argentine parents. “I feel Argentine,” she said. “I live a little bit everywhere because I’m constantly traveling, but my heart is in Argentina. I’ve always got my mate with me, so when I can’t buy yerba, I go nuts.” Fossa Huergo’s parents were born in Rosario but settled in Italy when her mother, a pro volleyball player, moved there to pursue her dream.  “My dad followed her, and that’s why I was born there,” she said, adding that touring South America as a tennis player helped her grow closer to her family, with her grandmother, aunts and cousins living in Argentina. Argentina’s series against Peru is set to start on Wednesday at 1 p.m. Argentina time.