Sam Stosur's Australian team will have to pull out all the stops in a tough Billie Jean King Cup away tie against France if they are to avoid being cast into the competition's hinterland next year.
Australia must prevail in their November playoff tie at a venue and on a surface to be decided by their French hosts if they are to make it into the qualifiers early next year that will give them a crack at winning the 2027 title.
If they lose in France, though, Stosur's team will instead have to drop down to play in regional events in 2027 and won't have a chance of contending to reach the finals week in China.
That would represent a dramatic fall from grace since the seven-time champions reached the final of the women's World Cup of tennis just four years ago.
A fortnight ago, Stosur's side failed to make the 2026 finals after losing the first three rubbers, two singles and a doubles, in the qualifier against Great Britain in Melbourne before Emerson Jones at least brought a bit of consolation by winning her maiden singles at 17 as Australia's youngest Cup debutant since Ash Barty.
Australia also reached the 2019 final, when the tournament was known as the Fed Cup, losing 3-2 to France in the final in Perth.
This will be their first meeting against France since that agonising loss, and it again won't be easy against the three-time champions, who have four top-100 players to choose from -- Lois Boisson (No.46), Varvara Gracheva (60), Elsa Jacquemot (62) and Diane Parry (95).
Boisson was the break-out home star at last year's French Open and the hosts may plump to host the tie on clay, especially in light of the recent struggles of Stosur's charges on the surface.
Australia have five in the top-100, headed by No..29 Maya Joint, who's currently injured, along with Talia Gibson (58), Daria Kasatkina (75), Kim Birrell (82) and Ajla Tomljanovic (85), while Jones will be in the frane, having risen to a career-high 133.
The United States, last year's finalists and 18-time champions, will be hoping to get back on track following their recent qualifier loss to Belgium when they play Hungary.
Brazil will host 2023 champions Canada, Iga Swiatek's Poland play Sweden, Japan face Argentina, Thailand are up against Switzerland, and Slovenia entertain Indonesia, with all ties to be staged either on either November 20/21 or November 21/22.
