Vandeweghe to lead Team USA in Fed Cup tie against Germany

034
February 1, 2017 08:28 AM

By Ashley Marshall, USTA.com

Fresh off a surprise run to the Australian Open semifinals, world No. 20 CoCo Vandeweghe will lead Team USA in a first-round Fed Cup tie against Germany next weekend.

Vandeweghe (pictured above) will be joined in Hawaii by Top 50 players Alison Riske and Shelby Rogers as well as world No. 1 doubles player and 2017 Australian Open women’s doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Rogers will be making her Fed Cup debut in the first Fed Cup tie for newly named U.S. captain Kathy Rinaldi.

Germany’s captain Barbara Rittner named No. 36 Laura Siegemund, No. 52 Andrea Petkovic, No. 57 Julia Goerges and No. 77 Carina Witthoeft to face Team USA. Reigning US Open champion Angelique Kerber will not play in the tie.

The best-of-five match series will be played at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Maui, Feb. 11-12. The winner of this matchup will advance to face either the Czech Republic or Spain in the World Group semifinals, held April 22-23, for a chance to compete for the 2017 Fed Cup title. The losing nation will compete in the World Group playoffs in April to remain in the World Group for 2018. 

“I can’t be happier to have CoCo, Shelby, Ali and Bethanie on my team for my first Fed Cup," said Rinaldi. “CoCo has entered the Top 20 for the first time and had a fantastic Australian Open. Shelby recently upset world No. 4 Simona Halep in Australia and Ali had a Top 10 win over Agnieszka Radwanska earlier this year, so both ladies are playing great tennis.

“It is also a huge advantage to have the top-ranked doubles player in the world with Bethanie. We look forward to competing against Germany, who also brings a strong team. It will be an exciting tie and we are thrilled to bring tennis back to Hawaii and play in front of our home crowd. Hawaii is a perfect place to start our year and my captaincy."

The U.S. team combines experience and youth and is expected to match up well against the Germans.

Vandeweghe, who represented the U.S. in the 2016 Rio Olympics, has played in four Fed Cup ties for the U.S., holding a 3-0 record in doubles and a 1-3 record in singles, while 31-year-old Mattek-Sands holds a 5-0 record in Fed Cup doubles and was part of the 2010 squad that faced Italy in the 2010 Fed Cup final.

They’re joined by two rising Americans who have started 2017 on a high note. Riske, 26, is ranked a career-high No. 38 in the world after reaching her fifth career WTA singles final in Shenzhen in January and advancing to the third round of the Australian Open. And 24-year-old Rogers has climbed to a career-high No. 48 in the world after reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open tune-up event in Hobart, Australia, and then upsetting Halep in the first round in Melbourne.

The U.S., which leads all nations with 17 Fed Cup titles, holds an 8-5 head-to-head record over Germany in Fed Cup. America last defeated Germany in the 2008 World Group first round in La Jolla, Calif., 4-1. 

Tickets are available and may be purchased by visiting www.usta.com/fedcup. Prices for single-day tickets for Saturday or Sunday range from $30 to $100 per day. 

 

Back

 
 

 
 
Close