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Maria Sharapova was passed over for the singles and scheduled to play doubles for Russia against the Netherlands in their Fed Cup first-round tie starting on Saturday. Sharapova was warned last week by Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpischev that she must play in the tie if she wants to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. After losing to Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinals, Sharapova said she would join the Russia team in Moscow but rest a left forearm injury.
But she was picked on Friday to play in the doubles, which ends the tie on Sunday. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ekaterina Makarova were picked to play the singles.
Makarova will open against Kiki Bertens, followed by Kuznetsova against Richel Hogenkamp on a hard court in the Olympic Stadium.
After the reverse singles on Sunday, Sharapova is teamed with 18-year-old debutant Darya Kasatkina to face Cindy Burger and Arantxa Rus.
For a player to compete in the Olympics, they must play for their country three times in the preceding four years. Sharapova appeared twice for Russia last year, including winning both of her singles in the final loss to the Czech Republic.
Russia, a four-time Fed Cup champion, is bidding to reach the semifinals for the 12th time in 14 years. The Netherlands is hoping to extend its seven-tie winning streak after returning to the World Group for the first time since 1998.
"I'm going to go to Moscow, to be part of the team but I don't think I'll be playing," she said.
Sharapova was as good as her word as she was pictured on social media on Thursday at the Fed Cup dinner in Moscow along with teammates Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ekaterina Makarova, teenager Darya Kasatkina and team captain Anastasia Myskina.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF), which oversees the Fed Cup, said that Sharapova did not necessarily need to play the tie in order to fulfil her Olympic criteria.
"The Olympic tennis event qualification regulations require a player to be in the nominated Fed Cup team at the time of the draw on three occasions," a spokesman told AFP on the eve of the draw for the tie. "A player does not need to play a match." Sharapova won all four Fed Cup rubbers she played in 2015 including the two singles matches in the final which Russia lost 3-2 to the Czech Republic. Russia have defeated the Dutch on all three occasions they have met.
The visitors' task will not get any easier on Saturday and Sunday as their top-ranked player is Kiki Bertens at a lowly 106 in the world. The Czechs, who have won four of the last five Fed Cups, start their defence against Romania in Cluj with former double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova (world number nine) and Karolina Pliskova (13) leading their assault.
Romania's top singles player Simona Halep, the world number three, has postponed a nose operation to play in the tie.
Italy, the champions in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013, go to Marseille to face five-time winners France.
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