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Alexa Glatch of the United States
© Ray Guilibo
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By Erin Bruehl, USTA.com
REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy -- Francesca Schiavone and Melanie Oudin battled each other’s determination and fight on the court as well as a lengthy rain delay.
Both players fought hard and for every point but in the end it was Schiavone who came out on top, defeating the American 7-6 (2), 6-2, to give Italy a commanding 2-0 advantage in the 2009 Fed Cup Final by BNP Paribas between the U.S. and Italy in Reggio Calabria.
In the first singles match of the day, Flavia Pennetta defeated Alexa Glatch 6-3, 6-1.
Oudin, 18, known for her never-give-up-attitude, was up a break in the first set, leading at 4-2 when the rain came, forcing a lengthy delay in play.
In the first game back from the delay, Schiavone, the world No. 16, came out more aggressive after some consultation with Italian Fed Cup Captain Corrado Barazzutti to adjust her game plan slightly, breaking Oudin to bring the set back on serve. Oudin struggled with her serves in her first few games back from the delay but the set then remained on serve and progressed to a tiebreak.
"I think we were very close when we start. She (Oudin) just won some games more than me, but I felt really close and really that I had chance to take that set," Schiavone said of her play before the rain delay. "It was not easy, but when we stop, I spoke with the captain, with the other coach. We spoke about the attention and maybe not to play too close from the line, but to use the speed and to push her as much as I could and to be aggressive. Not wait, wait, wait."
In the tiebreak, Schiavone went up 2-1 when Oudin hit a return wide and took control from there, winning the set with a service return winner.
"(With) rain delays, anything can happen," Oudin said. "I think it definitely didn’t really help me or not help me, but I think it definitely helped her (Schiavone). She came out and started playing a lot better and wasn’t missing anything.
"The first set I think (was) really a key point, because after that she really kind of ran away with it, you could say," she added of Schiavone. "I think she started getting more pumped up and the crowd helped her a lot. I had lots of chances in the first set, so losing was pretty tough. But I fought hard throughout the whole match. She played some really good points, and I thought a good match overall."
Oudin broke Schiavone in the opening game of the second set but the Italian immediately responded with a break of her own and after a hold followed it with another break of Oudin.
Schiavone was in control of play, dictating points and drawing lots of energy from the hometown crowd. She continued her aggressive play through the second set and fed off the energy from the crowd, carrying her momentum through the second set. In one stretch, she won 13 straight points from the second game through the fifth. She went up 5-1 and after Oudin broke one more time, Schiavone had the match and a 2-0 lead for Italy when an Oudin shot landed in the net.
In the first match of the day, Pennetta came out playing some of her best tennis despite some early nerves, using a very strong serve and making few mistakes to defeat Glatch.
"In the beginning I was really nervous. It’s tough to go to the court and play your best tennis when you play such a big event," Pennetta, the world No. 11, said. "But I was very focus on my game. I try to just play very easy, not too many things. Everything was working pretty good, and in the end my serve was great. So I’m really happy about this first match."
The first set featured lots of competitive rallies and points between the two players with Pennetta winning many of the key points. She took the set with two breaks of serve to none for Glatch.
Glatch rebounded to break Pennetta in her opening service game of the second set but from there the Italian shed any last nerves and found an extra gear, including improving an already strong serve, giving the American few chances to get back into the match. Pennetta immediately broke back and never trailed again.
Glatch thought she could have played a little better, with some of her weapons – including a usually strong serve – just not working well as well as they usually do. She also thought she could have been a little more aggressive, as she was when she upset Pennetta in the first round of the French Open earlier this year.
"At the beginning I thought I had a couple chances, but she played extremely well and didn't give me a lot of opportunities," Glatch said of the competitive first set. "She didn't give me much to work with. I definitely could’ve served a little bit better. I think that let me down."
U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez thought both Glatch and Oudin played solid matches and each had opportunities to win. Oudin plays first Sunday against Pennetta with the U.S. needing a victory to keep alive their hopes of winning an 18th overall Fed Cup title.
"Whether you have a win or loss, you’re trying to get better the next chance you have a chance to play," Fernandez said. "It’s an opportunity. Mel goes first. It’s her opportunity to do even better than she did today and make better plays, better choices all the time. Fed Cup, you have to go a match at a time. We’ve seen a lot comebacks from two love down. It’s a new day."