At the Fed Cup finals, Flavia Pennetta defeated CoCo Vandeweghe in a 6-1, 6-2 match, giving Italy its second straight victory over the United States.
Pennetta’s victory during the fourth match for singles gave the Italian players a 3-1 edge in the best of five final round. The victory came right after Melanie Oudin shocked the French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone, and walked away with the 6-3, 6-1 victory in an attempt to keep the United States team still in the game.
Last year, it was still Italy versus the United States during the final round. However, last year’s results were 4-0 compared to the recent performance. Prior to that, the Italians have managed to keep three titles in the span of five years.
So far, this is the second straight final that the United States played in the tournament without the Williams sisters who have been sidelined for the rest of the season due to their injuries.
One of the known players, Billie Jean King, was watching from the front row when Pennetta sealed the match against Vandeweghe in six straight games.
According to Oudin, King also came into the player’s lounge before her game started and wished her luck.
Oudin said, “I heard her cheering… I was playing for myself, the team and the whole U.S. Sometimes the Fed Cup can bring out the best in people and that’s what happened today… Today is the best that I’ve played in a long time. I felt confident out there.”