14 April 2014 | Tennis Queensland

Australian captain Alicia Molik today named an unchanged team for the Fed Cup semifinal to be staged in Brisbane over the Easter weekend.

World No.20 Samantha Stosur will lead the team, along with [52] Casey Dellacqua, [169] Ashleigh Barty and [269] Storm Sanders.

“I’m delighted to have such a strong and cohesive team and am keen to build on the terrific results we achieved against Russia in February,” Molik said today.

“The girls work together really well both on and off the court and I believe we have a really good chance against Germany, who no doubt will be tough to beat.

“It’s always great to have Sam leading the team. She had a great win against Germany’s top player, Angelique Kerber, in Fed Cup two years ago and is a key to our potential success.

“Casey has had a fantastic start to the year and continues to go from strength to strength. She’s not only a terrific team player and great role model for the younger girls, but Case and Ash are a formidable doubles combination. We’ve seen time and time again the difference a good doubles pair can make to this competition.

“Over the past couple of ties – in Switzerland last year and recently in Hobart – Stormhas impressed with her hard work, determination and positive approach and I’m very pleased to name her in the team for this tie,” Molik continued.

The Australia v Germany Fed Cup semifinal will be held at Pat Rafter Arena, Queensland Tennis Centre, on April 19 and 20. Play will commence at 12:00 pm on Saturday and 1:00 pm on Sunday.

Australia and Germany havemet 12 times in Fed Cup, with Australia holding an 8-4 advantage. The most recent meeting was in 2012 in Stuttgart, with Australia winning theWorld Group Play-off 3-2. This is the first time Australia has reached the semifinal since 1993, and 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of Australia’s last win, when Evonne Goolagong led the Australian team to victory in 1974.

Tickets for adults are $25 per session, children just $5 and family tickets are $50.

Tickets are now on sale via www.ticketek.com.au or by calling 132 849.

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with 95 nations taking part in 2014. The event celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013 in the ITF’s centenary year.