Australia defeats the U.S., 3-2

2019 Fed Cup First Round

U.S. Cellular Center – Asheville, N.C.

Ash Barty shined in Asheville for Australia, winning in singles and doubles on Sunday to lift Australia to a 3-2 victory over the United States in a Fed Cup World Group First Round tie.

Ranked No. 13 in singles and No. 6 in doubles, Barty beat Madison Keys, 6-4, 6-1, in singles and later paired with Fed Cup rookie Priscilla Hon to clinch victory in doubles over Nicole Melichar and Danielle Collins, 6-4, 7-5, sending the Aussies through to their first World Group semifinal since 2014 to face Belarus.

Danielle Collins, making her Fed cup debut, subbed in for Sofia Kenin to play the fourth singles match on Sunday after being sick earlier in the week, Collins overcame Daria Gavrilova, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2, to push the tie to a deciding doubles match. The two-time NCAA champion out of the University of Virginia finished that singles win in such a form that prompted U.S. Captain Kathy Rinaldi to tab her for doubles alongside Melichar.

But Barty, after defeating Sofia Kenin in singles on Saturday, became the first player to win three points in a Fed Cup tie against the U.S. since Caroline Garcia of France in the 2014 World Group Playoff. Barty has now won 11 straight matches in Fed Cup competition.  

The U.S., after reaching the Fed Cup Final in each of the last two years, Rinaldi’s first two as Captain, will now play in the World Group Playoff April 20-21 for the right to remain in the World Group in 2020. Their opponent, which will be one of Switzerland, Spain, Canada and Latvia, will be decided later this week, as will the site.

Sunday’s attendance at the U.S. Cellular Center was 4,987, bringing the two-day total to 10,199.

RESULTS

Saturday
Ashleigh Barty (AUS) d. Sofia Kenin (USA), 6-1, 7-6(2)
Madison Keys (USA) d. Kim Birrell (AUS), 6-2, 6-2

Sunday
Ashleigh Barty (AUS) d. Madison Keys (USA), 6-4, 6-1
Danielle Collins (USA) d. Daria Gavrilova (AUS), 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
Danielle Collins / Nicole Melichar (USA) d. Ashleigh Barty / Priscilla Hon (AUS), 6-4, 7-5