Russia will face holders Italy in the Fed Cup semi-final at a specially-built indoor court laid on top of an ice rink, the country’s tennis federation (RTF) said on Monday.
The RTF said the April 16-17 tie will be the first major tennis event held at Moscow’s 14000-seat Hodynka arena, built in 2007 to host that year’s ice hockey world championship.
The Russians also considered playing the tie in Kazan before picking the Hodynka over the more-familiar tennis arena in Moscow — the 15000-seat Olympic sports palace where they beat France 3-2 in the opening round earlier this month.
The winner of this tie will face Belgium or the Czech Republic, who meet in the other semi-final, in the November final.
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