United States vs. Italy – Fed Cup February 9-10

Written by: Staff on 9th February 2013

United States vs. Italy - Fed Cup February 9-10

epa03377379 Varvara Lepchenko of the US hits a return to Samantha Stosur of Australia during their match on the fifth day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 31 August 2012. The US Open runs through Sunday 09 September 2012. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

SUMMARY OF DAY ONE—LEPCHENKO LEADS THE WAY

Two rising Americans made their Fed Cup debuts in singles today in the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas First Round in

Rimini, Italy.

The highlight of the day came when world No. 21 Varvara Lepchenko defeated world No. 16 Roberta Vinci in the

second singles rubber to even the first round tie, 1-1. Fed Cup rookie Lepchenko defeated Vinci in an epic, 2-6, 6-4, 7-

5, match that lasted for two hours and 17 minutes. This was the first time Lepchenko and Vinci had met in WTA or Fed

Cup competition.

Lepchenko led 5-1 in the third set, but the momentum shifted, and the third set was leveled at 5-5. Lepchenko then

broke Vinci and held serve to win the final set, 7-5. This was Lepchenko’s best career win since beating then-world No.

13 Dominika Cibulkova in the second round of the WTA event in Montreal last year. This was also her best win on clay

since upsetting then-world No. 12 Francesca Schiavone en route to the fourth round of the 2012 French Open.

Following the match, Lepchenko dedicated the win to her new fiancée, Taras. The couple met at a ski resort two

years ago and became engaged this October. Taras proposed to Lepchenko on the beach in St. Augustine, Fla.

Young American Jamie Hampton faced 2012 French Open champion and world No. 7 Sara Errani in the first singles

rubber, but came up short, losing to Errani 6-2, 6-1, in one hour and two minutes. Hampton, who has previously served

as a Fed Cup practice partner, was the 69th player ever to be named to the U.S. Fed Cup team. She is expected to

face Roberta Vinci tomorrow in the fourth singles rubber. Errani is now 7-4 in Fed Cup singles matches and holds a 2-3

live singles record in Fed Cup competition.

The last time the U.S. Fed Cup team had two rookies playing the first and second singles rubbers was in

2009, when Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Alexa Glatch made their Fed Cup debuts in the World Group semifinal in the

Czech Republic. Mattek-Sands lost the opening singles match, while Glatch won her second singles rubber. Glatch

went on to win her other singles match, while Mattek-Sands lost to level the tie at 2-2. The U.S. then won the doubles

rubber and sent the U.S. to their first Fed Cup Final since 2003.

The United States leads all nations with 17 Fed Cup titles, the last coming in 2000, and holds a 142-32 all-time Fed

Cup record. The United States holds a 46-3 record in the first round or first tie of the year since Fed Cup competition

began in 1963. All U.S. losses occurred since the World Group format was introduced in 1995.

U.S. FED CUP TIED WITH ITALY, 1-1

DAY/LOCAL TIME MATCH PAIRING

Saturday, 3:00 p.m. Singles A: Sara Errani (ITA) def. Jamie Hampton (USA) 62 61

Singles B: Varvara Lepchenko (USA) def. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 26 64 75

Sunday, 1:30 p.m. Singles C: Varvara Lepchenko (USA) vs. Sara Errani (ITA)

Singles D: Jamie Hampton (USA) vs. Roberta Vinci (ITA)

Doubles: Liezel Huber/Melanie Oudin (USA) vs. Karin Knapp/ Nastassja Burnett (ITA)

THEY SAID IT…

U.S. FED CUP CAPTAIN MARY JOE FERNANDEZ

On Varvara Lepchenko’s win…

“I was really proud of the way Varvara approached the match and how disciplined she was. Even when she was down, she

competed really well. In Fed Cup, things get complicated and there is always tension. It probably wasn’t easy for her playing

for the first time in Fed Cup without a home crowd, but she did a great job blocking it out. She kept fighting and kept

believing. Varvara has a great game and can play anyone. She can make anyone feel uncomfortable and she did that today.

She played her heart out.”

On tomorrow’s matches…

“We are still in this tie and it is fantastic. I told the girls that the goal was to win any three matches any which way. We have

one, so we are looking for two tomorrow. Varvara will play Sara, who won today, so that will be very tough. Sara has great

clay-court variety and is a strong Top 10 player. Jamie will go out there against Vinci and give it her all. I’m excited.”

On Varvara Lepchenko’s and Jamie Hampton’s Fed Cup debut…

“It is a different experience for each player when they are playing Fed Cup for the first time. I told Jamie and Varvara to enjoy

it and appreciate this opportunity. I told them the crowd will be loud, but pretend it is for you. It is about representing your

country, which is so unique, because their matches are always individual. I thought they did a very good job today in their first

matches.”

VARVARA LEPCHENKO

On her Fed Cup debut…

“Even though this was my first Fed Cup match, I wasn’t that nervous because I had the experience in the Olympics. I was

very nervous there, so I didn’t want to let my emotions get to me here in Fed Cup. I thought of this as a first match in a

tournament and I just needed to get into it. In the second set, I was in it.”

On being up 5-1 in the third set, then winning the set, 7-5…

“I lost my focus in the third set. I became distracted, but I kept on fighting. I kept telling myself that the match wasn’t over—

that I can still win it.”

On being part of a team…

“It has been amazing to be a part of a team this week. I have so much support from all of them. I feel like I can’t let them

down. I played more for them today than for myself.”

“I am really proud of the way I handled myself today. I have had many people cheering against me in many tournaments

throughout the year, so this time, I was happy to see my team cheering for me. They really helped me.”

On playing for the U.S. as a new American citizen…

“There were a lot of emotions during the Olympics and I enjoyed the process. I didn’t play my best tennis there and I wanted

to do a lot better here this time for my country. I am very proud to represent my country. Being a new American is a great

feeling because I never had any opportunities to play the Olympics or Fed Cup. I have taken all of these opportunities very

seriously and am giving 100%.”

On her recent engagement…

“I want to dedicate this win to my new fiancée, Taras. We got engaged in October in St. Augustine on the beach. It is very

exciting!”

JAMIE HAMPTON

On her Fed Cup debut…

“It was nice to make my Fed Cup debut today. Obviously, it wasn’t the way that I would have liked it to go, but it was nice. I

have loved playing on a team here all week. This is one of the few opportunities that we all have during the year where we

can play together and be a group and be a team. It is a different atmosphere and has definitely been something that I have

enjoyed. The best part of today was definitely making my debut and playing for this team and representing my country.”

On Sara Errani…

“Sara is a really good player—Top 10 in the world. I thought I had a few opportunities in the first set, but I let it slip away from

me and she got the momentum. It was hard to get back.”

On playing on clay…

“Red clay was always going to be one of the tougher surfaces to play on and I haven’t spent a ton of time playing on it. I

actually don’t mind it, but Errani is one of the best clay-courters in the world, so I knew it was going to be tough. The

movement was a lot different, but it is still tennis. It is still a game and she played very well today.

Topics: Alexa Glatch, BETHANIE Mattek-Sands, Italy, Roberta Vinci, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, United States, Varvara Lepchenko

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