(April 18, 2015) After day one, the United States and Italy are ties at 1-1 in the Fed Cup World Group Playoff being played at Circolo Tennis Brindisi in Brindisi, Italy.
World No. 1 Serena Williams led off the day holding off world No. 36 Camila Giorgi, 7-6(5), 6-2, raising her Fed Cup singles record to 12-0.
“The first set was tough,” said Williams. “I needed to stay calm and make more shots, especially the deeper ones. I think I was hitting them short. So once I started hitting deeper, things worked out.”
“Camila played really well and had a great game plan. That is the player she is. She goes for it a lot. I love to watch her play because she is so feisty on the court. I love her game how she hits so hard. I know her game really well, so it was not a surprise.”
Sara Errani leveled the tie in the next match, demolishing Lauren Davis, making her singles debut for the United States 6-1, 6-2 in 70 minutes.
“It was a good experience for me,” Davis said. “I thought I handled myself well. Sara played very well and was solid and consistent. Given the situation, I think I did okay.”
“Lauren competed really well,” said US Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez. “It is a tough match-up on clay. Sara has so much experience and defends so well and is also very aggressive. I thought there were a few games where Lauren had opportunities where it was deuce or break point. Against a player of that caliber, you have to win those games and then maybe you have a chance. Sara played really well under pressure and those points very well.”
The winner of the tie this weekend will return to World Group 1 and can compete for the Fed Cup next year while the loser will fall back into World Group II.