• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tennis Panorama

Tennis News and Information, Tournament Coverage and Features

Tennis Panorama News

Tennis news and information, tournament coverage and features

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Staff
  • RSS
  • Features
  • Tournament Coverage
  • Social Media
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • pinterest
  • Podcast
    • ITunes
  • Tennis Panorama Archive 2008-2017
You are here: Home / Features / US Fed Cup Team Begins Title Defense with the Williams Sisters in North Carolina This Weekend Versus the Netherlands

US Fed Cup Team Begins Title Defense with the Williams Sisters in North Carolina This Weekend Versus the Netherlands

February 9, 2018 by Tennis Panorama News

US Fed Cup Team Begins Title Defense with the Williams Sisters in North Carolina This Weekend Versus the Netherlands

By Stephanie Neppl

(February 9, 2018) ASHEVILLE, N.C. -The US Fed Cup team is ready to defend its 2017 title with a first-round clash versus The Netherlands in Asheville, North Carolina this weekend.

 

Team USA, who won the Fed Cup in November for the first time since 2000, features Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Coco Vandeweghe and Lauren Davis. The tie will take place Saturday and Sunday at the 5000-seat US Cellular Center in downtown Asheville in front of a sell-out crowd.

 

The 2018 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Official Draw Ceremony took place Friday afternoon, with Venus Williams and Vandeweghe named for singles duty, and Serena Williams and Davis set to pair up in doubles action. The Dutch team features Richel Hogenkamp and Arantxa Rus playing singles, while Lesley Kerkhove, and Demi Schuurs will be on doubles duty.

 

This tie marks the first time Venus and Serena have played Fed Cup for two years, and they last played the same tie was 2015.

Venus Williams, currently ranked 8 in the world, is set to kick off the tie against Rus, who is ranked 124th in singles. The elder Williams said she always enjoys the opportunity to play Fed Cup for the US. “It’s always an honor. It’s always a sense of pride you take on the court besides playing for yourself. It’s a completely different feeling, completely different to the circumstances.” Venus has an impressive 19-2 singles record in Fed Cup singles action, and she and Rus have never faced each other in singles.

 

Vandeweghe has played seven Fed Cup ties since 2010 and boasts a 7-3 singles record and 5-0 in doubles. “I like playing for my country. It’s a great honor to be chosen to represent the U.S. I think that shows in my Fed Cup play, how much I really enjoy it.” The 17th-ranked American will play Saturday against 108th ranked Hogenkamp.

 

No doubt the public will be disappointed not to see Serena Williams compete in singles but as the 23-time slam champion returns to women’s tennis after the birth of her daughter in September, she herself admitted this comeback could be a long process. “This is definitely the start of a long process. You have to start and I’m ready.  I’m really happy to be here.”

 

The 62th ranked Davis, coming off an historic match against WTA No. 1 Simona Halep at the Australian Open, has played just one Fed Cup doubles match in her career (a win with Madison Keys during the 2014 World Group quarterfinals) and said she was ‘really happy I’ve been chosen to be part of the Fed Cup team with these four amazing ladies.”

 

Venus Williams and Rus face off on Saturday at 1pm ET, followed by Vandeweghe and Hogenkamp immediately following. The US and Dutch teams have faced of 8 times in Fed Cup play, with the US holding a 6-2 lead in ties. The two countries last played each other in 1998.

Team Captains are Kathy Rinaldi for the US, while the Dutch team is led by Paul Haarhuis.

 

The Netherlands team acknowledged its underdog status, but Hogenkamp said the team has been practicing hard and are ready. “I think the underdog fits us very well. We will see how it goes this weekend. We’re going to give 100% like we always do.”

ORDER OF PLAY

 

Saturday, 1 p.m.  ET

 

Singles A: Venus Williams (USA) vs. Arantxa Rus (NED)

 

Singles B: CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) vs. Richel Hogenkamp (NED)

 

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

 

Singles C: Venus Williams (USA) vs. Richel Hogenkamp (NED)

 

Singles D: CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) vs. Arantxa Rus (NED)

 

Doubles: Serena Williams (USA) / Lauren Davis (USA)  vs. Lesley Kerkhove (NED) / Demi Schuurs (NED)

Serena Williams Returns to Competition to Play Fed Cup This Weekend, Will Air on Tennis Channel

 

Stephanie Neppl is in Asheville covering the Fed Cup tie between the US and the Netherlands for Tennis Panorama News. Follow her live updates on Twitter at @TennisNewsTPN. Follow her personal Twitter @stephintheus and her blog  http://ihaveatennisaddiction.blogspot.com.

 

 

 

 

Share

Filed Under: Davis Cup/Fed Cup, Features, Front Page News, tennis news, tournament coverage Tagged With: Arantxa Rus, Coco Vandeweghe, Fed Cup, Lauren Davis, Netherlands, Richel Hogenkamp, Serena Williams, Stephanie Neppl, tennis, tennis news, US Cellular Center, US Fed Cup Team, Venus Williams

Primary Sidebar

Search Tennis Panorama


Subscribe to Tennis Panorama via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new articles by email.

newsnow_f_ab

cheap tennis shoes from China on DHgate.com

planetbarkad

Tennis Panorama on Twitter @TennisNewsTPN

Tweets by @TennisNewsTPN

Interested in advertising on this site? Please fill out a contact form.

RSS ATP World Tour

  • Hijikata/Kubler Capture Australian Open Crown
  • Vying For No. 1, Tsitsipas & Djokovic To Headline Big Changes In Top 10
  • Djokovic v Tsitsipas: The Rivalry
  • Final Preview: Djokovic, Tsitsipas Square Off For Australian Open Title, World No. 1
  • Goffin Leads Belgium’s Star-Studded Challenger

RSS WTA Tour

RSS ESPN AP Tennis Headlines

  • Aussie wildcards Hijikata, Kubler win doubles January 28, 2023
  • Aryna Sabalenka battles her way to first Grand Slam victory January 28, 2023
  • Hewett wins singles, doubles Aus Open titles January 28, 2023
  • As it happened: Sabalenka defeats Rybakina for first Slam title January 28, 2023
  • Sabalenka takes Aussie title for first career Slam January 28, 2023

More Tennis Sites

15-lovetennis (French website)

ATP World Tour

BBC Tennis

ESPN

Jon Wertheim Sports Illustrated

International Tennis Federation (ITF)

New York Times Tennis page

Tennis Atlantic

Tennis Channel

Tennis with an Accent

Tennis Identity
USA Today

Tennis TV

WTA

ZooTennis.com






Footer

Subscribe to Tennis Panorama via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this website and receive notifications of new posts by email.

January 2023
S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Dec    

Categories

© by TennisPanorama 2014 and beyond
 

Loading Comments...