Azarenka may be the hottest player right now, but she still has plenty of respect for McHale, the ranked No. 38 in the world, referring to her as “a dangerous opponent.’’
With the tournament’s reverse singles format, Azarenka will face McHale, the US’s second-ranked player behind Serena Williams, at 1 p.m., followed by Williams vs. Olga Govortsova.
“It’s a huge honor for me to be on all the Fed Cup teams I’ve played on,’’ said McHale, who is in her third straight year representing the Team USA.
Williams will open play tomorrow against Azarenka at noon with McHale vs. Govortsova coming after. The doubles match of Venus Williams and Liezel Huber against Azarenka and Govortsova will be the day’s final event.
Govortsova was a surprise selection over Belarus’s second-ranked player Anastasiya Yakimova, but team captain Tatiana Poutchek said she felt that Govortsova matched up better against the opposition.
A slight but powerful righthander with a wicked forehand, McHale has already beaten the 22-year-old Azarenka twice, both in 2010.
At the WTA Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina in April 2010, McHale was up, 6-2, 2-2, against Azarenka when she was forced to retire because of an injury.
McHale, a native of Teaneck, N.J., came back to defeat her that July at the Kennedy Funding Invitational.
She defeated fellow American phenom Melanie Oudin in the semifinal round and then topped Azarenka in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, in front of a hometown crowd in New City, N.Y.
McHale posted career-best finishes at last year’s Wimbledon (second round) and the US Open, where she defeated former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, to reach the third round.
“I’ve had Christina on many teams already [and] I’ve loved seeing her progress,’’ said United States captain Mary Joe Fernandez. “She’s one of the hardest workers out there. She’s gotten stronger, fitter. She’s got a big game. It’s great to see all of that paying off.’’
