VENUS WILLIAMS AND SLOANE STEPHENS BOTH WIN TO LEAD THE U.S. FED CUP TENNIS TEAM AS THEY MAKE A 2-0 LEAD OVER POLAND

Written by: Staff on 6th February 2016

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VENUS WILLIAMS AND SLOANE STEPHENS BOTH WIN TO LEAD THE U.S. FED CUP TENNIS TEAM AS THEY MAKE A 2-0 LEAD OVER POLAND |

Venus Williams, Governor David Ige and Paula Kania

By Cheryl Shrum

The US defeated Poland 2-0 on day one of their World Group II First Round Fed Cup match at Holua Tennis Center in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii on Saturday.

Sloane Stephens got the US’s campaign off to a fantastic start, defeating Poland’s Magda Linette in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 in a hour and 15-minutes to take the first rubber.

In the first set, Stephens was able to convert two of three break point opportunities to take the lead 6-2. In the second, Stephens trailed 0-4 before regrouping and coming back to win the set 6-4.

“I definitely had a little fart there at the beginning of the second set, but I regrouped well and I was happy that I was able to play some solid tennis towards the end,” Stephens said. “It happens, so all I can really take from that is that I tried my butt off and never gave up. That’s all that really counts.”

It probably didn’t hurt that Stephens had the crowd behind her. “It’s amazing. This is the first tie I’ve played we’ve sold out, so it was really, really nice the fans were great,” Stephens added. “They were loud, it was awesome.”

“I don’t think the crowd affected me. She came up with some amazing shots that affected me more than the crowd,” said Linette. “I just try to be focused on my game and not what’s happening outside of the court.”

Stephens is now 2-2 in singles in Fed Cup, while Linette is 1-4.

In the second singles rubber, World No. 12 Venus Williams got off to a rocky start in a set that had a nine breaks of serve. Williams led 3-1 before Kania took the lead at 5-4 but like Stephens in the first match, the veteran was able to win the last three games to capture the first set, 7-5. Williams broke Kania three times to easily take the second 6-2.

Venus Williams. Photo by Ron Angle|USTA

“The sun was a bit of a challenge, but I think as the match went on I was able to adjust to it more,” said Williams after the match. “That’s what you have to do when you play in these conditions.”

“She had some good shots and played very well. I had a few errors,” said Williams. “I think when she was in front, it wasn’t as comfortable for her. So just that game, I put some balls in, she missed a few, and at 5-all, I probably had more experience that she did.

“You know, I was a little nervous in the beginning,” said Kania. “But I try my best. She is a great player. She’s a legend. I have respect for her. It’s never easy when you’re not playing your best kind of tennis to win against these kind of players.”

“Getting two wins today is very important. Each match is important,” said US captain Mary Jo Fernandez. “It’s so much better to go into the second day with the lead, but you still have to finish the job. There were tense moments in both the first and second matches, so it was great be able to get through both of them.”

In Sunday’s first match of the day, Williams will face off against Linette. World No. 12 Williams and world No. 96 Linette have never met on the WTA Tour. The second singles match on Sunday will feature Sloane Stephens and Paula Kania. World No. 25 Stephens and world No. 153 Kania have also never met in WTA competition.

Vandeweghe and Mattek-Sands are scheduled to take on Rosolska and Jans-Ignacik, who is serving as Poland’s playing captain. Vandeweghe reached the mixed doubles final at this year’s Australian Open and is ranked No. 46 in the world in doubles.

Following the singles, first time US Fed Cup partners Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Coco Vandeweghe will take on the seasoned Polish doubles team Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and Alicja Rosolska. Vandeweghe reached the mixed doubles final at this year’s Australian Open and is ranked No. 46 in the world in doubles. Mattek-Sands, ranked No. 6 in the world in doubles, won the 2015 Australian Open and French Open women’s doubles titles with Lucie Safarova and has won 17 career WTA doubles titles overall.

Attendance for today’s matches was a sell-out crowd of 2,004.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Cheryl Shrum, Fed Cup tennis, Hawaii, Holua Tennis Center, Poland, Sloane Stephens, Sports, Tennis, US, Venus Williams, Wta

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RickSydney says:

February 7, 2016 at 3:20 am

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