FED CUP TENNIS, Sloane Stephens Gives Her All But Us Loses To France

Written by: Staff on 20th April 2014

FED CUP TENNIS, Sloane Stephens Gives Her All But Us Loses To France |

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United States vs. France

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas

2014 World Group Playoff

Chaifetz Arena

St. Louis, Mo. * April 19-20

Below are the final notes for the U.S. vs. France Fed Cup tie.

TRANSCRIPTS CAN BE FOUND AT THE LINKS BELOW:

Sloane Stephens; United States Fed Cup Team

Virginie Razzano; French Fed Cup Team

FRANCE DEFEATS THE UNITED STATES, 3-2

The final day of competition in the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Playoff between the United States and France had a dramatic ending, as the tie came down to a fifth-and-decisive doubles match for the ninth time for the United States (since the World Group format was instituted in 1995). In the end, France defeated the United States, 3-2, after Caroline Garcia won three points for France this weekend (two singles matches and the doubles match) to launch France into the World Group in 2015.

The U.S. is now 37-6 all-time in Fed Cup ties played at home and holds an overall 134-35 record. The United States is 5-4 in the fifth-and-decisive doubles match.

In Sunday’s first match of the day, Sloane Stephens, the United States’ top-ranked player, faced Virginie Razzano, who replaced Alize Cornet in singles after Cornet suffered a leg injury. Stephens won her first-ever Fed Cup singles match, defeating Razzano, 6-2, 6-4, in one hour and seven minutes. Stephens and Razzano had never played each other before this tie. Stephens is now 1-2 in singles play in Fed Cup competition and Razzano is 10-5.

The second singles match featured two promising young players in Madison Keys, 19, and Caroline Garcia, 20, where Garcia won her second singles match this weekend, defeating Keys, 6-4, 6-3. Garcia won her first WTA singles title last weekend in Bogota, Colombia, as well as the doubles title. Keys is now 1-2 in Fed Cup singles play.

The tie was then decided by the decisive doubles match, in which the singles players again took to the court when the United States’ top players in Stephens and Keys faced Garcia and Razzano. After just under an hour and a half, Garcia and Razzano prevailed, defeating Stephens and Keys, 6-2, 7-5. After the French swept the first set, 6-2, the U.S. fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set to even the match at 5-5 in the second set. However, the French team broke in the next game and took the match.

The U.S. will compete in World Group II in 2015 for just the second time since the World Group format was instituted in 1995 (the U.S. competed in the World Group II in 2012). France will compete in the World Group next year for a chance to win the 2015 Fed Cup.

FINAL RESULTS

DAY/LOCAL TIME MATCH PAIRING

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Singles A: Caroline Garcia (FRA) def. Sloane Stephens (USA), 6-3, 6-2

Singles B: Madison Keys (USA) def. Alize Cornet (FRA), 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-3

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Singles C: Sloane Stephens (USA) def. Virginie Razzano* (FRA), 6-2, 6-4

Singles D: Caroline Garcia (FRA) def. Madison Keys (USA), 6-4, 6-3

Doubles: Caroline Garcia / Virginie Razzano (FRA)

def. Sloane Stephens / Madison Keys (USA), 6-2, 7-5

ATTENDANCE

Attendance for Sunday’s matches at Chaifetz Arena on the campus of Saint Louis University was 1,463.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE U.S. TEAM?

The U.S. will be relegated to the World Group II in 2015 for just the second time since the World Group format was instituted in 1995 (the U.S. competed in the World Group II in 2012).

The United States will join seven other countries—Argentina, Slovak Republic, Spain, Romania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland—in the World Group II next year.

FED CUP UPDATE

WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS

Czech Republic defeated Italy, 4-0

Germany defeated Australia, 3-1

WORLD GROUP PLAYOFFS

France defeated the United States, 3-2

Canada defeated the Slovak Republic, 3-1

Russia defeated Argentina, 4-0

Poland defeated Spain, 3-2

Topics: Bnp Paribas, Fed Cup, France, Sloane Stephens, Tennis News, U.S.

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10sBalls_com says:

April 20, 2014 at 10:46 pm

FED CUP TENNIS, Sloane Stephens Gives Her All But Us Loses To France – http://t.co/QBvZkCcAV8 @FedCup @sloanetweets #tennis #results