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Stephens, Keys tabbed at Alamo Fed Cup draw

Arthur Kapetanakis | April 19, 2019


SAN ANTONIO In the shadows of the historic Alamo, the battle for a place in the 2020 Fed Cup World Group took shape on Friday afternoon. At the draw ceremony for Team USA’s playoff match against Switzerland, both captains played it straight, confirming that their highest-ranked singles players will take the court at the Freeman Coliseum on Saturday. 

 

Sloane Stephens, the top-ranked American woman at No. 8 in the WTA Rankings, was fittingly named the No. 1 singles player for the U.S., while world No. 14 Madison Keys slotted into the second spot. The Swiss countered with No. 80 Viktorija Golubic and No. 111 Timea Bacsinszky at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. 

 

The announced doubles match will feature 20-year-old Sonya Kenin and debutant Jessica Pegula against a pair of first-time Fed Cup participants in Conny Perrin and Ylena In-Albon—though substitutions are permitted for each of Sunday’s three potential matchups. UCLA product Jennifer Brady was left out of the initial lineup, but could see action under that rule.

 

Keys will have the honor of leading off for Team USA against Golubic in the tie’s opener. After winning her first career clay-court title, at the Volvo Car Open earlier this month, the four-time WTA singles champion is happy to be back on her favored hard courts.

 

“I think [the court] is great,” she said. “I would say it's medium speed. Obviously I love hard courts, all of that. It was a pretty easy transition for me after playing on clay the last couple of weeks.”

 

It will be a matchup of contrasting styles against Golubic, as Swiss captain Heinz Günthardt explained.

 

“The first match, especially, is a classic: tall girl with a lot of power [Keys] versus quick girl with a lot of variety [Golubic]," he said.

 

“We'll see if we are able to play our way more than Madison's way, which is pretty much a game based on three, four shots. Of course, she's done extremely well; that's because her first three, four shots are extremely powerful and very precise.”

 

The second match, between Stephens and Bacsinszky, features the most experienced Fed Cup player on both teams. Stephens, 26, is entering her seventh tie, while the 29-year-old Swiss will be competing in the 27th tie of her 14-year Fed Cup career. 

 

Despite Stephens' experience and the youth of the American squad—it is the second-youngest team captain Kathy Rinaldi has assembled, with an average age of less than 24—the 2017 US Open women’s singles champion stands on equal ground with her teammates.

 

“I've grown up playing with all these girls. I don't think there's one person that's the leader. I think we all kind of complement each other. We have good vibes in the team. Everyone’s equal, the same. We have good chemistry.”

 

Like in the opening match with Golubic, the Swiss are banking on the versatility of Bacsinszky to trouble the higher-ranked opposition—103 spots higher, in this case. 

 

“Timea is the one that has more variety, while Sloane is a bit more straightforward, very good athlete,” said Günthardt. “I think the surface, as well, lends itself to a bit of variation because the bounces are quite interesting: slice stays low, a kick goes high.”

 

Rinaldi, on the other hand, will look for the Americans to play on their own terms with first-strike tennis. Downplaying the gap in rankings, she has kept her team locked in and focused on the task at hand.

 

“Switzerland has a strong, talented squad,” she said. “But I love my team. We’ve done our homework. We’re ready to go.”

 

While Rinaldi will be relying on Stephens and Keys to do the heavy lifting, each player has contributed to the team dynamic this week. 

 

“I believe in all these girls,” she gushed, referencing Kenin, Pegula and Brady. “I've known them for a very long time. They all have something to offer. They all bring something a little different. That's what makes us such a great team.” 

 

The stakes are high this weekend, with the winner sealing a place in the 2020 Fed Cup World Group and a chance at the title. The loser will be relegated to World Group II, something the U.S. has avoided since 2016.

 

Billie Jean King famously claims that "pressure is a privilege." The Americans, thanks to the support system they have developed with each other, certainly seem to be feeling more privilege than pressure.

 

"It's always different playing for your country," Keys reflected. "It's bigger than just you. It's always an honor to be on a Fed Cup team. I'm always very excited to get to play for my country and be in a team environment because that obviously doesn't happen very often. I always really love Fed Cup weeks."

 

Play will begin at the Freeman Coliseum at 2:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. ET) on Saturday, with live coverage available on Tennis Channel. Sunday's play will begin at 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET). Tickets are still available, while supplies last.

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