Italy Defeats U.S. in Fed Cup Play
Reigning Fed Cup champion Italy advanced to the Fed Cup World Group Semifinal, defeating the United States, 3-1, on the second day of play at the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Quarterfinal between the U.S. and Italy at Cleveland’s Public Auditorium. After losing its two singles matches yesterday, the U.S. team is now 0-11 when it trails 0-2 after the first day of play (since the World Group format was instituted in 1995). The U.S. is now 37-5 all-time in Fed Cup ties played at home.Italy has won the last four meetings against the U.S. in Fed Cup with the U.S. still leading the series 9-4.
In Sunday’s first singles match of the day, Italy’s Karin Knapp clinched the tie for Italy and won her second singles match of the weekend, defeating American Alison Riske, 6-3, 7-5, in one hour and 37 minutes. Riske made her Fed Cup debut and replaced Madison Keys, who was originally set to compete in the first singles rubber. World number 46 Riske and world number 40 Knapp had met once prior to today, facing off in the 2013 Australian Open qualifying draw, where Knapp won the match.
Following Riske’s match, Cleveland native Lauren Davis and Madison Keys competed in the dead doubles rubber against Italy’s Nastassja Burnett and Alice Matteucci. Davis and Keys, who both made their Fed Cup debuts this weekend, won the doubles match, 6-2, 6-3. Davis won the 2008 Division II state high school singles championship for Gilmour Academy in Ohio as a freshman.
Italy advances to face either Spain or the Czech Republic in the semifinals, April 19-20. The U.S. will be relegated to the World Group Playoff in April and will need to win to stay in the World Group. There will be four seeds among the eight nations in the World Group Playoffs (World Group first round losers and World Group II first round winners), held April 19-20. The seeding is based on updated rankings after this weekend, but it is unlikely a World Group II nation will be seeded.
In other World Cup action from tbhis weekend:
â–ºSpain leads the Czech Republic, 1-0 (rain delay)
â–ºGermany defeated Slovak Republic, 3-1
â–ºAustralia defeated Russia, 4-0
