The poll conducted by the Fed Cup official Web site shows that 67% out of about 2,500 respondents believe that Russia is the most likely Fed Cup winner out of the four remaining teams, which are the United States (25% of the vote), France (6%) and Italy, the current Fed Cup holders, (2%).
The Russian team, which won the Federation Cup in 2004 and 2005, reached this year's semifinals after last weekend's stunning 5-0 home victory over Spain at the Moscow Luzhniki Stadium.
In a semifinal encounter on July 14-15 in the United States, Russia will face the host team, which also reached the next round of the competition in a stunning 5-0 victory over the Belgian team.
The U.S. has currently an impressive 4-1 winning record over the Russian team in Federation Cup frames. But it was Russia who triumphed in the last semifinal encounter in Moscow in 2005, despite the presence of Venus William in the U.S. squad, who had just won Wimbledon the week before.
