April 18, 2011 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
The United States has been swept 5-0 by Germany in Fed Cup action, elimiated from the top tier of Fed Cup action for the very first time. Andrea Petkovic beat Melanie Oudin 6-2, 6-3, giving Germany a 3-0 lead over the U.S. Venus Williams, still nursing a hip injury, was on hand at the event at Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, rooting on her American teammates.
“It’s tough to be out of the World Group for the first time, but we just came up against a better team,” said U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez. “We did the best we could, we fought for every point and that’s all you can do, do your best on the court. It was a tough weekend but you have to give credit to whole German team. They played great. There were moments, small chances, but there weren’t that many opportunities for us.
Sabine Lisicki of Germany defeated Christina McHale of the U.S., 6-3, 6-4. Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Groenefeld completed the sweep with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 doubles victory over the American duo of Vania King & Liezel Huber.
