Czechs open 2013 Fed Cup at home

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PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The Czech Republic Fed Cup team learned Friday it will host a 2013 World Group quarterfinal against Australia in February.

On the eve of the 2012 Fed Cup final series, in which Serbia plays the defending champion Czechs in Prague, the International Tennis Federation released pairings and sites for the 2013 quarterfinals.

The Czechs will go against Australia in Ostrava, rather than Prague. The Czech Republic was a 4-1 winner in Ostrava over Italy in this year's semifinals.

The U.S. team will head for Rimini, Italy, and a series against Italy, which won the Fed Cup in 2009 and 2010. Also in the quarterfinals, Japan goes against Russia in Moscow and the Slovak Republic plays at Serbia.

The U.S.-Italy match is to be played on a clay court. The other semifinals will be on hard courts.

The quarterfinals are scheduled for Feb. 9-10, with the winners advancing to the semifinals April 20-21

The 2013 Fed Cup final series is to be played Nov. 2-3.