Konta will make her Fed Cup debut for England this weekend

Great Britain captain Judy Murray has decided to give Johanna Konta her Fed Cup debut in this weekend’s World Group II play-off in Argentina.

Konta, who was born in Sydney and only became eligible for Great Britain last May, got the nod ahead of the more experienced Anne Keothavong to replace Heather Watson, who is suffering from glandular fever.

Konta will take on Paula Ormaechea in the opening rubber at the Parque Roca stadium before Laura Robson faces Florencia Molinero.

The reverse singles will then be contested before Robson teams up with Keothavong for the doubles.

Murray said: “It’s disappointing for Heather that she couldn’t make the trip with us. We hope that she will be back soon and we hope we can get the job done with the team we have.

“You always miss a player ranked around 40 in the world and we wish her a speedy recovery.

“The Argentinians have the advantage of playing at home and on clay, which would be their preferred surface, so for us that’s a challenge.

“We have a very strong team, we have strength in depth, and I hope that it will be a good match and that we will come out on top.”

Robson is the highest-ranked player in the tie at 38 in the world and she said: “I have been practicing on clay since Miami, so I have had a few weeks now to get used to it and played a tournament on clay in Charleston, so I’m feeling pretty comfortable.”