In April 2016, Slovakia played the Fed Cup World Group 2 Play off against Canada. The winner retained the position in World Group 2, while the loser was relegated into regional competition. After losing to Australia in February, Slovakia managed to win this tie 3:2. Dominika Cibulkova was the driving force this time, winning both her singles rubbers against Francoise Abanda and Aleksandra Wozniak. Our team also had a new member. Tereza Mihalikova, who won Junior Australian Open 2015 and was a finalist of Junior Australian Open 2016 made her debut in the doubles match. She and Jana Cepelova almost won their match against Canadian duo Sharon Fichman and Charlotte Robillard-Millette. The Canadians were more lucky in the third set super tie-break.
The 7th edition of IBU Biathlon Cup 2015/2016 took place during the second weekend of February 2016 in Osrblie, Slovakia. The toughest individual races were held on Saturday, February 13th (Four shootings, penalty minutes instead of penalty loops, 20 kilometers for men and 15 kilometers for women). Matvey Eliseev of Russia won the men’s race and Marine Bolliet of France claimed the victory in women’s race. World Cup star Tiril Eckhoff of Norway also made an appearance in the heart of Slovakia. Her superfast skis and four penalty minutes were good enough for fifth place.
In February 2016, Slovak Fed Cup team played the first round of Fed Cup World Group 2. against team Australia. The Aussies led former US Open Champion Samantha Stosur proved to be too tough for us. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova defeated Arina Rodionova and Dominika Cibulkova won her match against Kimberly Birrell. On the other hand, Samantha Stosur defeated both Jana Cepelova on Saturday and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova on Sunday. She then added the deciding point in with Casey Dellacqua, defeating Daniela Hantuchova and Jana Cepelova in three sets.
In January 2016, I visited and photographed the exhibition dedicated to Titanic’s first and only voyage, held in Bratislava, Slovakia. In this exhibition, visitors can see the real Titanic artifacts salvaged from the bottom of the ocean. Perhaps a bit low-key compared to other large scale exhibitions the Titanic exhibition is well worth visiting for those interested in naval history.