TENNIS NEWS AND TV TIMES FOR THIS WEEKEND / SERENA WILLIAMS LEADING THE UNITED STATES FED CUP TEAM FROM ITALY

Written by: Staff on 16th April 2015

TENNIS NEWS AND TV TIMES FOR THIS WEEKEND / SERENA WILLIAMS LEADING THE UNITED STATES FED CUP TEAM FROM ITALY

epa04690599 Serena Williams of the USA in action against Simona Halep of Romania during their semi-final round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida, USA, 02 April 2015. EPA/RHONA WISE |

SERENA WILLIAMS LEADS U.S. TEAM IN FIGHT FOR 2016 FED CUP SPOT THIS WEEKEND ON TENNIS CHANNEL

Americans Alison Riske, Lauren Davis and Christina McHale Join Serena Williams Against Italy in Rematch of 2014 First Round

The Tennis Channel will provide exclusive live coverage of the U.S. Fed Cup team’s first-round competition against Italy in Brindisi, Italy,this weekend, with live world-whiparound telecasts Saturday, April 18, beginning at 7 a.m. ET, and Sunday, April 19, beginning at 5:30 a.m. ET. The United States must defeat Italy to qualify for the 2016 Fed Cup tournament. World No. 1 and reigning Australian Open champion Serena Williams will join Alison Riske, Lauren Davis and Christina McHale as they fight for a spot in next year’s competition, after defeating Argentina 4-1 in February to qualify for this weekend’s matchup.

In addition to televising the United States-Italy match this weekend, Tennis Channel will cover the competition live on the network’s digital subscription service, Tennis Channel Plus. The platform (www.tennischanneleverywhere.com) is available to anyone in the United States regardless of whether they subscribe to Tennis Channel. Tennis Channel Plus will also carry Fed Cup semifinal action with Czech Republic-France play, in Ostrava, Czech Republic, beginning at 6 a.m. ET, and Russia-Germany competition in Sochi, Russia, beginning at 7 a.m. ET.

Tennis Channel will also provide live coverage of the men’s tournament in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, this weekend, with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Stanislas Wawrinka, as part of its world-whiparound telecast.

General view of the secound round match between Novak Djokovic (L) of Serbia and Albert Ramos Vinolas of Spain for the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament in Roquebrune Cap Martin, France, 14 April 2015. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER

Tennis Channel’s live on-air and Tennis Channel Plus coverage is as follows (all time ET):

Saturday, April 18:

6 a.m. – Singles #1 Fed Cup: Czech Republic v. France

7 a.m.- Singles #1 Fed Cup: USA v. Italy / Russia v. Germany; Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters

8 a.m. – Singles #2 Fed Cup: Czech Republic v. France

9 a.m. – Singles #2 Fed Cup:USA v. Italy / Russia v. Germany

9:30 a.m. – Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters

Sunday, April 19:

5:30 a.m. – Singles #3 Fed Cup: USA v. Italy

6 a.m. – Singles #3 Fed Cup: Czech Republic v. France / Russia v. Germany

6:30 a.m. – Doubles Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters

7:30 a.m. – Singles #4 Fed Cup: USA v. Italy

8 a.m. – Singles #4 Fed Cup: Czech Republic v. France / Russia v. Germany

8:30 a.m. – Final Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters

9:30 a.m. – Doubles Fed Cup: USA v. Italy

10 a.m. – Doubles Fed Cup: Czech Republic v. France / Russia v. Germany

The United States holds a 9-4 advantage over Italy in Fed Cup play. However, Italy has defeated the United States in their four most recent meetings, with back-to-back victories in the 2009 and 2010 championship rounds. This weekend’s matchup will be a rematch of the same stage last year, when the Italians beat the Americans 3-1 in Cleveland. The American squad must defeat Italy in order to qualify for the 2016 tournament and a chance to compete for next year’s Fed Cup title. The United States, which leads all nations in Fed Cup titles, has clinched the trophy on 17 occasions, the most recent in 2000.

Serena Williams of the USA in action against Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain during the final of the Miami Open tennis tournament on Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida, USA, 04 April 2015. EPA/RHONA WISE

The U.S. Fed Cup team is captained by retired American tennis star Mary Joe Fernandez, who as a player helped her Fed Cup team win the championship in 1996. Williams won her 19th Grand Slam singles title at this year’s Australian Open and holds four Olympic gold medals, including one in singles and three in doubles with her sister Venus. Riske clinched her first WTA title in Tianjin, China, last October when she defeated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic. Davis recently defeated World No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard en route to the quarterfinals in Charleston and advanced to the semifinals in Auckland, New Zealand, before falling to fellow countrywoman Venus Williams. McHale reached her first WTA final last year in Acapulco, Mexico.

Italy, Fed Cup winner in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013, enters this weekend’s competition after losing 2-3 to France in February. If Italy wins this weekend it will qualify for the 2016 Fed Cup tournament. The Italian team is captained by Corrado Barazzutti and features World No. 7 Sara Errani, Flavia Pennetta, Camila Giorgi and Karin Knapp.

Topics: Monte Carlo, Serena Williams, Tennis Channel, Tennis News, US Fed Cup

Follow 10SBALLS.COM on:

Facebook:

Twitter:

10sBalls_com says:

April 16, 2015 at 9:56 am

#TENNIS NEWS AND TV TIMES FOR THIS WEEKEND / @serenawilliams LEADING THE #UnitedStates @FedCup TEAM FROM #ITALY- http://t.co/LNXMl60TMr